


DIY Disaster Jung Taekwoon

by thoroughlynerdy



Category: VIXX
Genre: AU- Reality Television, M/M, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-07-27 15:11:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 106,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20048107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thoroughlynerdy/pseuds/thoroughlynerdy
Summary: Jung Taekwoon is an accountant. He writes songs on the side, hangs out with his cat, and dotes on his adorable nephew. One day at work, he gets talked into helping his friend's friend out and auditions for a new reality show pairing amateur crafters with professionals for a seven week long competition. One problem: Jung Taekwoon is no crafter. His friends often tease him for his lack of artistic talent, but he has never backed down from a challenge. Cakes are baked, curtains are sewn, rooms are painted, and he falls a little bit in love along the way.





	1. Casting

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. First I want you to know this whole thing is finished. The one thing I always fear when I start reading a chaptered story is not getting an end and I **swear** to you, the end is already written I am just in the process of editing. I also promise that the rating will be justified.
> 
> This story is some weird amalgamation of a Nailed It! meets Great British Bake Off meets Making It! and has been an absolute labor of love. If anyone from Netflix wants to contact me about optioning off the rights to whatever it is my mind has created, find me on twitter at this same handle. (I'm only mostly joking).

“Hyung, can I ask you something?” Sanghyuk asks, only his eyes and the top of his head visible from where he peeks over the wall of Taekwoon’s cubicle.  


“No,” Taekwoon says dismissively. For emphasis, he spins his chair back around to face his monitor and continue the very engaging Minesweeper game he has going.

“You don’t even know what it is yet,” Sanghuyk insists, his voice louder as he leaves his own cube and invades Taekwoon’s. He makes himself comfortable in the small guest chair kept convenient for meetings, leaning back and giving him a pointed look.  


“I don’t need to,” Taekwoon returns, eyes still glued to the screen as he clicks randomly, no obvious strategy to avoid the mines. “Anything you ask is unimportant.”  


“Rude,” Sanghyuk pouts drawing a huff of a laugh from the elder. “You really should hear me out though, since there’s a prize involved.”  


Taekwoon stills, shifting minutely at the words. He _loves_ a good competition. “I’m listening,” he finally acquiesces and spins in his chair to face the younger.  


“So there’s this new competition reality show thing. They pair talentless people with professional crafters and see if they can learn anything. Wanna audition?” Sanghuyk asks, a shit eating grin on his face.  


Taekwoon’s eyes narrow at the insult, “Do you actually have a death wish?”  
“I’m mostly kidding,” Sanghyuk laughs, holding his hands up in a placating manner. “It’s not _really_ about talentless people, just amateur ones. I just thought of you when one of my friends was talking to me about it. He’s one of the interns and was asking if I knew anyone who would be good for it,” Sanghyuk teases back. “But if you’re too scared, I understand.”  


“Scared? You think I’m too scared to compete?” Taekwoon splutters.  


“That’s what it sounds like,” Sanghyuk shoots back, eyes crinkling as Taekwoon’s blood pressure mounts. “You can always prove me wrong, Hyung.”  


Taekwoon knows he is being goaded, can feel it in the smile Sanghuk throws at him, but he can’t help but take the bait. “Tell me when and where to meet your friend,” he says with finality.  


Sanghyuk passes him a post-it with all of the information already scrawled on it and Taekwoon mourns the loss of his weekend already when he sees the date.  


“I’ll text Binnie and let him know to expect you!” the younger says cheerfully as he stands and gives Taekwoon a small wave before escaping Taekwoon’s space.  


“I’m going to kill him anyway,” Taekwoon mutters as he stares down at the address in his hand forlornly.

The morning of his meeting with the casting crew of the reality show, Taekwoon goes through his usual motions. He wakes up without his alarm, trips over his cat as he stumbles into the kitchen to make coffee, and pours them both some food (cereal for him). He’s trying to decide if he really wants to keep his promise and go to this audition or just do his usual Saturday routine of Netflix and songwriting. He’s been stuck trying to compose a new song for his friend Jaehwan who is growing impatient. He’d only agreed because they had grown up together and he knew that Jaehwan could sing the back of a cereal box and make it sound good, so the thousands of followers and views he garners on social media platforms could jumpstart his composing career and finally let him leave the accounting life he settled for behind if he plays his cards right. Begrudgingly he decides that auditioning won’t kill him, and could put him in a position where he is already in the public eye and generate a little buzz of his own if he decides to.  


Post shower, he stands in front of his closet pondering his clothing choices longer than he should. “Mochi, he calls out to the gray tabby lounging at the foot of his bed, “what exactly does one wear when they go to an audition for a show they don’t really want to be part of?”  


The cat, as expected, offers no advice and simply burrows further down into the comforter. 

“Thanks for the help,” Taekwoon says dryly, but scritches behind her ears nonetheless. He settles on an oversized blue and white striped sweater and light wash skinny jeans with tasteful holes going up the legs. It’s April, and while the weather is warming up, it can still be quite chilly in the mornings and evenings. He quickly does his hair, sweeping it off his forehead and over to one side before he makes one last cup of coffee to go, grabs his bag and phone, and sets out for his destination. 

As he walks to the bus stop, he shoots a quick text to Sanghyuk, smirking as he types. 

_If your friend murders me in a creepy warehouse on the pretense of auditioning me for this show, I will haunt you for the rest of your life_

**you’re dumb, hyung**

The younger’s reply has him smiling as he climbs the stairs and snags a seat in the back close to the window. It’s a twenty minute ride, so he decides to search DIY projects and terms so that he can have a rough idea of what to expect and so he hopefully doesn’t sound like a complete idiot during the interview. He’s so engrossed in watching a video of someone pouring and curing resin molds that look like stars that he nearly misses his stop, but realizes just in time to sprint through the doors before they close.  


When he finds the building, he’s relieved that it isn’t nearly as sketchy as he’d feared and instead is just on the edge of downtown in a small high rise. He’s greeted by a security officer and checks in at the front desk, giving his name and receiving a visitor’s badge and directions to head to the second floor by a smiling receptionist named Yeri.  


Taekwoon joins two other people waiting for the elevator and lets them on in front of him. As the doors close, he takes a second to study his reflection in the mirror, and sighs when he sees the surly look on his face. His “resting bitch face,” as Sanghyuk calls it, tends to intimidate people, but he’s learned that when he tries to force a smile, he looks a bit like a serial killer. He’ll take the RBF, thanks.  


Once he steps off, he moves to the side, both to collect himself and to figure out where he’s supposed to go from here. Luckily, there’s another small reception area and when he approaches, there’s another smiling face waiting for him. “Can I help you?” the woman behind the counter asks kindly.  


“I’m here for an interview? Audition? For the crafting show?” Taekwoon asks uncertainly, just managing to hold back a wince at fumbling over the words.  


“Jung Taekwoon-ssi?” she asks glancing down at the screen in front of her.  


“Yes,” Taekwoon confirms quietly.  


“Great, I’ll page Hongbin, the intern assigned to interview you, to come and meet you. Please make yourself comfortable while you wait,” she says gesturing to the small waiting area.  
Taekwoon nods and sinks down into one of the plush black chairs lining the wall opposite and takes a look around. Three of the walls are lined with posters for various programs he assumes this studio is responsible for, and the last holds plaques with various awards. Smiling faces of celebrities stare back at him and Taekwoon feels irrationally intimidated by them. He shifts his attention to his phone, checking his messages (no new ones) and flicking through his email and wondering how exactly he got subscribed to so many mailing lists. He bulk deletes all of the offers and looks up at the sound of approaching footsteps.  


“Jung Taekwoon-ssi?” the new guy asks.  


“Yes,” Taekwoon confirms again and stands to greet him.  


“I’m Lee Hongbin,” the man says flashing him a smile and the cutest set of dimples Taekwoon has ever seen. “If you’ll follow me, we’ll get this interview started so you can enjoy the rest of your Saturday.  


Taekwoon follows him wordlessly to a conference room a little way down the hall. There’s a small tripod with a camera setup to film one side of a table. Hongbin drops into the chair next to the camera, so Taekwoon reluctantly sits in the one facing it.  


“Just be yourself. Between you and me, you’re basically cast already so we’re just going through the motions,” Hongbin says easily as he fiddles with a few buttons on the camera, leaning over to check that Taekwoon is properly framed and in focus.  


Taekwoon’s eyes widen at Hongbin’s words, “What do you mean I am basically cast already? How?”  


“Hyogi sent me some samples of your work and you’re perfect from what I’ve seen. We’ll still do a few test crafts to make sure,” he gestures to a drawing pad and a small box of what appears to be preschool art supplies.  


Taekwoon almost stands and walks out right then. If he was joking about his coworker’s early demise before, he most certainly is not anymore. ‘Samples of his work?’ What did that even mean? The only thing Hongbin could be referring to are the doodles Taekwoon tosses over the cube wall to annoy the younger with, and those are always intentionally bad.  


“Ready?” Hongbin asks breaking him out of his murderous thoughts. “Please introduce yourself to the camera,” the intern instructs.  


“Hello, I’m Jung Taekwoon and I am 29 years old,” Taekwoon says obediently.  


“Sorry, can you speak up? I’m not sure the mic picked that up,” Hongbin says furrowing his brow.  


Biting back a frustrated noise, Taekwoon tries again, “Jung Taekwoon. 29,” he repeats a little louder. He feels awkward addressing the camera. There’s a reason he’s usually the one behind the scenes and on the outskirts. Why he’s focused on writing songs instead of singing them himself. Attention makes him uneasy and this is just a really, really bad idea the little voice at the back of his head jabs.  


“Thanks,” Hongbin says. “Tell us a little about yourself.”  


“I am an accountant. I have a cat. I play pickup soccer on the weekend, play with my nephew, and write songs sometimes,” Taekwoon replies robotically.  


“You write songs? Do you sing too?”  


“Yes.”  


“Can we hear one?”  


“No.”  


“What’s your cat’s name?” Hongbin tries again.  


“Mochi.”  


Hongbin reaches over and pauses the recording before running a hand through his hair and giving Taekwoon a strained smile. “Taekwoon-ssi,” he begins, “Can you possibly give me more than one word answers?”  


“No.”  


Hongbin’s jaw drops.  


“I don’t like cameras,” Taekwoon confesses quietly.  


“You do realize this is a _television show_, right?” Hongbin returns incredulously.  


Taekwoon nods, then glances around. The conference room walls are glass and he can see people milling around, walking by, standing just off to the side in the sea of cubicles chatting and working. He feels a bit like he’s in a fishbowl and he can feel the anxiety starting to creep up. “This is probably a bad idea,” he says. “I know Sanghyuk gave you my name as a joke, so you really don’t have to go this far. I’ll just—”  


“Let’s try some of the crafting things,” Hongbin cuts him off, a genuine smile back on his face.  


Taekwoon blinks back at him. The abrupt shift in topic throwing him.  


“Do you want to build something, or would you rather draw first?”  


“Draw,” Taekwoon automatically says reaching to grab the pad of paper and a marker. “What do you want me to draw?”  


Hongbin studies him for a second, “What about your family?”  


Taekwoon nods and feels the corners of his mouth tugging up at the thought of them. He uncaps the marker and immediately starts drawing. First is a house, four walls with a pointy roof, even if the one he grew up in had a flat one. Two larger stick figures, the one representing his dad gets a beard, the one for his mom a big smile and a pretty dress. Then come his sisters, all three of them get matching dresses and long hair, the youngest gets a small stick baby to represent his nephew. Next to them he draws himself and a little Mochi to run around. The yard looks too plain, so he adds some flowers then a sun in the corner. Once he’s satisfied, he flips the paper to show Hongbin.  


The intern’s eyes widen, and a huge smile crosses his features.  


“Not bad, right?” Taekwoon asks smugly.  


Hongbin can’t hide his snort as he gleefully films the end product, “It’s a masterpiece,” he confirms solemnly.  


“I don’t know how to draw a pregnant belly, but my middle sister is going to have a baby soon,” he adds with a smile.

“That’s great,” Hongbin says sincerely. “Please wish her well from all of us.”

Taekwoon relaxes a bit, “So what’s next?”  


The “building” project ends up being a birdhouse. Taekwoon chooses popsicle sticks as his medium of choice and ends up accidentally gluing one to his forearm after he had rolled back his sleeves so they wouldn’t get messy. He has three sides done and is contemplating the best way to add a door so the birds can enter and leave at will, when a new voice draws his attention.  
“Is this another potential contestant?”  


Taekwoon’s eyes fly to the source and he sees a sleepy-eyed man staring down at him. His bubble gum pink hair is a sharp contrast to the deep tone of his voice.  


“Yeah, this is Jung Taekwoon. He’s the one my friend from college sent to us,” Hongbin explains as Taekwoon decides to ignore him and goes back to constructing the birdhouse.  


Bubble gum hair guy hums his interest and sticks around for another few minutes, watching Taekwoon work without comment. He ducks out of the room a few minutes later, leaving Taekwoon and Hongbin alone again.  


“Who was that?” Taekwoon asks as he lines one short and one long edge of a small popsicle stick with glue and presses them into place on the left-hand side to start a doorway.  


“Wonshik. He’s the producer and director,” Hongbin answers. “How is construction going?” he asks conversationally.  


“It’s getting there,” Taekwoon says continuing to build up the doorway. He’s weighing the the option of adding an additional perch to the upper section of the front as well as the lower so that more than one bird can rest at a time, but he’s worried about the weight distribution and if that would cause the whole thing to tip forward.  


“How do you think you do under pressure?” Hongbin asks.  


Taekwoon doesn’t know when Hongbin turned the camera back on, but with his hands busy and his mind focused on the task, he finds it a little easier to express himself.  


“I think I do well under pressure. Competition inspires me, so knowing there’s a clock ticking down, that helps me focus.”  


“Competition inspires you?” Hongbin prompts.  


“My friends would tell you I am a competitive shit,” he replies wryly drawing a bubbling laugh from the other.  


“What about crafting? Do you have much experience?”  


“Not really. I sometimes draw with my nephew,” Taekwoon explains as he glues the last stick in place. He sets it down gingerly, careful not to destroy it immediately, and looks over to Hongbin. “Are we doing anything else?”  


Hongbin’s smile is wide as he studies the other, “No, I think we’re done today. We are definitely going to cast you though, so can I have your contact information to send you details later?”  


“Uh, sure,” Taekwoon says and grabs the pad of paper and a marker again before writing his name and number and sliding it over to Hongbin. “Is that all for today?”  


At Hongbin’s affirmative nod, they both stand from the table and Taekwoon follows him back toward reception and the elevator. The silence feels awkward on Taekwoon’s side as they wait, but soon the doors are sliding open. The two part to let the passengers off, and it feels like everything slows down to slow motion as the most beautiful man Taekwoon has ever seen in his life passes him with a quick, polite smile.  


The whole ride down Taekwoon can’t stop thinking about that smile.

\------

“Binnie!” Hakyeon grins as he throws his arms around Hongbin when he chances upon the intern in the lobby.

“Hey, Hyung, how are you?” Hongbin asks making a show of ducking out of the hug Hakyeon is trying to smother him with.

Hakyeon playfully chases him and ruffles his hair when he finally captures the younger who has dashed behind the reception desk and ducked behind Sooyoung in her chair. “I’m good!” he grins. “This whole idea sounds fun and I can’t believe Wonshik actually got the network to agree to do it!”

“I know. I can’t believe he essentially convinced them to let him hire all his friends,” Hongbin agrees trying to return his hair back to its usual state of casual disarray instead of the mess Hakyeon had made it. 

Together they turn and walk back the way Hongbin just came from. They find Wonshik at his desk and Hakyeon gives him the same greeting hug he gave Hongbin, but also presses a kiss to his cheek just to watch him squirm.

“Gross,” Wonshik says and playfully wipes his cheek off with the back of his forearm.

“You love me,” Hakyeon pouts crossing his arms.

“You? Yes. Your spit? No,” Wonshik counters. “What are you doing here anyway?” he asks pushing back from his desk and tipping his chair back to regard the elder.

“I was told I needed to give an interview for the intro package,” Hakyeon says shooting a questioning look at Hongbin.

“Intro packages are necessary,” Hongbin confirms solemnly. “Kisses are not.” 

Wonshik snorts at the put out look on Hakyeon’s face at the continued teasing. “Whatever excuse you have, it’s good to see you.” He turns to Hongbin. “Can I see the footage you just shot?” Wonshik asks gesturing to the conference room Hongbin had recently vacated. “I didn’t realize we had potential contestants in the office today.”

“Sure. You’re going to love him, by the way. He’s so awkward and surly, and serious about everything. He was a last minute add to the contestant list so that’s why he was in here today instead of last week like everyone else.”

“Can I watch too?” Hakyeon asks hopefully.

Wonshik sighs, “I should make you wait to see all of the contestants like everyone else, but—”

“Best friend privileges?” Hakyeon interrupts.

“Pain in the ass privileges,” Wonshik gripes

Hakyeon splutters at the response, mouth opening to protest the dig, but Wonshik slings an arm around his shoulders and drags him towards the conference room with him.

The three sit down and Hongbin flips the viewfinder of the camera around so the three of them can watch the footage on the small screen. By the time it is over, Hakyeon has his hands over his mouth and is actually cooing while Wonshik is laughing at him.

“You’re friend from college found this guy? How do we get him on payroll?”

“I’m not sure you can,” Hongbin laughs in return. “He works with Taekwoon-ssi, that’s how he knows him,” he explains.

“The kid has a future in casting if he ever wants it,” Wonshik says as he rises. “I’ll let you two do your thing now. It’s always good to see you, Yeonnie. I’m glad we’ll get to work together again,” he says giving Hakyeon another quick hug.

Hakyeon squeezes him back lovingly.

Once Wonshik has left, Hakyeon turns to fully face Hongbin, “Okay, so, intro package?”

Hongbin nods and readjusts the camera, turning it to frame Hakyeon this time. “We just need an overview of who you are and what you’re known for. We’ll splice in cuts from your channel too so that the viewers can see some of your stuff before you actually start crafting.” He leans over to retrieve another sheet from his folder. “I have a list so I don’t forget to ask you anything,” he explains at Hakyeon’s curious stare. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

Hongbin clears his throat then presses the record button. “Can you please state your name, age, and occupation?”

“I’m Cha Hakyeon, 29 years old, a freelance interior designer and I also have a Youtube channel where I do DIY and craft projects.”

“How long have you been a crafter?”

“Hmm, probably since kindergarten?” Hakyeon laughs, eyes turning to half moons as the memory hits him. “We made these little Christmas tree ornaments in school—puzzle pieces painted green and glued around our pictures so they looked like a wreath. I remember being fascinated by the fact that I could _make_ something. My teacher even let me make an extra. My mom still hangs it on the tree every year too.”

Hongbin mirrors Hakyeon’s smile, “That’s adorable, but disgusting,” he declares. “What do you make now?”

“Hmm, I make a lot of candles—I love experimenting with the scents and colors. I also make small furniture and can whip up curtains or pillows to match any room I design.”

“Is that the focus of your channel? Projects only?” Honbgin prods.

“I sometimes document my clients houses as I design for them, so when I sew pillows or refinish a table or something I’ll film the process and have a walkthrough of the whole thing once I’m done if the client permits. My channel is still pretty new, but I have a lot of skills I’m eager to show.”

“Do you ever collaborate?”

“Not really? I mean, sometimes I have a project where I need an extra set of hands or something, but usually it’s just me. I think it will be fun working with someone else though.” Hakyeon’s voice is light and he smiles easily at the camera in lieu of Hongbin directly. 

“Even if that someone isn’t as skilled as you?”

“Everyone is skilled at something and has something valid to add,” Hakyeon counters quickly, voice harder than he intends.

Hongbin opens his mouth to respond, but closes it again.

“Sorry, was that aggressive?” Hakyeon asks. “I’ve just been told so often that I’ll never be good enough that words like those grate on me.”

“It’s fine,” Hongbin smiles. “What are you most looking forward to through this?”

“Making stuff,” Hakyeon grins in return. “But really, I love competitions _and_ making things, and this combines both of those so I think the whole thing will be fun. Plus whoever is paired up with me won’t be able to pawn me or themselves off on another team,” he said throwing a pointed look at the other.

With those words, Hongbin reaches over and stops the recording. “That was **one** time and you’re never going to let me live it down are you?” he asks, voice a whine.

“You literally bribed Wonshik to change teams with you as soon as we were paired up,” Hakyeon huffs, arms crossing. 

“It was also a year ago. Please let me live, Hyung. Anyway, I think that was it. Sorry to drag you all the way down here just for a ten minute interview,” he apologies with a small bow.

“Nonsense,” Hakyeon admonishes. “I got to see you and Wonshik.”

Hongbin rolls his eyes and pushes himself back from the table, “What do you want to see me for?” he asks, nose wrinkling. 

“Why would I _not_ want to see you? You’re a precious little intern and I’m glad Wonshik adopted you,” he reaches out to pinch Hongbn’s cheek and gets his hand slapped away in return.

“He did not _adopt_ me” Hongbin spits back, ears turning red at the accusation.

“Whatever, you’re part of the family now, so what do you say we go drag the boss to lunch then?”

Hongbin throws him a smile, “You’re buying right? Since you’re old?”

He once again ducks away from Hakyeon, this time avoiding a swat to the back of his head instead of a hug.

\------

Back at work on Monday, Taekwoon is once again absorbed in Minesweeper when Sanghyuk pops up over his cube wall, the whole thing is very reminiscent of the previous week. 

“So, I heard you’re officially cast on the show.”

“Mmm,” Taekwoon nods, eyes still glued to the screen. He clicks a mine, but just resets the game and tries again, determined to give the other as little satisfaction as possible.

“Have you run it by HR yet?” Sanghyuk asks curiously.

“I did,” Taekwoon says, eyes finally meeting the younger’s. I explained the situation and how we will be filming on weekends, and they said that as long as it doesn’t interfere with my work here and that I don’t mention the name of the firm on air, I am free to film on my time off.

“When does filming start?” 

“We go in for pre-filming stuff this weekend where we find out who we’re paired up with. The filming schedule they sent me last night was just this weekend and next weekend with tentative dates for the following seven weekends if we make it all the way to the finale,” Taekwoon explains.

Sanghyuk’s eyes widen, “I didn’t realize this was going to consume your life for the next two months.”

Taekwoon shrugs, “It’s honestly not like I have that much going on. I can use some PTO days if needed. Plus you didn’t tell me there’s a ₩10,000,000 prize.”

“Holy shit,” Sanghyuk breathes at hearing the number. “If I knew that I would have signed up.”

“I didn’t know either until they sent over the contract. It’s signed now so what’s done is done and worst case scenario is I lose weekends for the next couple of months.”

Sanghyuk gives him a wary look before sinking back down out of sight again.

He clicks open his desktop calendar, relishing in the fact that it is relatively empty for the foreseeable future. He looks down at his phone, contemplating sending a text to Jaehwan to let him know he may need more time than he thought for their next collaboration, but decides against it hoping that the creative environment of the show will spark his own creativity and maybe speed their time line up instead of slowing it down.

The week passes in a blur of mindless number crunching and throwing wadded up sticky notes at Sanghyuk at any chance he gets. By the time the weekend rolls around, Taekwoon has run the complete gamut of emotions and is feeling more excited at the prospect of the competition and potentially winning the prize money rather than feeling like he is going to throw up when he thinks of all the cameras that will be on him.

Saturday repeats itself, with Taekwoon stumbling out of his bed and into the kitchen, Mochi winding her way through his legs and nearly tripping him. “You know if I trip and break my leg, I can’t get you food, right?” he asks the cat as they round the corner to the small kitchen. 

She ignores him as usual.

An hour later, he’s getting off the bus and walking towards the address of the filming location. It’s a large nondescript studio on a back lot and does look like that warehouse he joked about being murdered in before. There’s a guard waiting with a clipboard, and thankfully Taekwoon is on the list and waved through. When he finally gets a glimpse of the set for filming, he’s immediately taken aback by the number of people and amount of activity happening in front of him. Spotting Hongbin off to the side deep in conversation, Taekwoon immediately gravitates towards him. He’s saved from awkward hovering when Hongbin notices his approach and turns toward him.

“Taekwoon-ssi, you made it!” Hongbin greets him with a smile.

Taekwoon nods, giving him a small wave in return. “This is…busy” he says, voice quiet and anxiety starting to rise again. There are staff milling about, marking the floor with tape in various shades and calling out different numbers to one another.

“It is,” Hongbin agrees surveying the scene in front of them. “Once filming really gets going it will calm down some—or at least you’ll be so focused on your task that you won’t notice,” he says conversationally.

Taekwoon’s eyes sweep the set once more and he highly doubts the intern, but decides not to voice his thoughts. “Do you know where exactly I’m supposed to go now? The e-mail was a little vague, all it said was to meet in Lot C building J.”

Hongbin grins sheepishly, “Sorry, that’s my fault. You’re fine with me for now. In a minute I’ll take you back to makeup before we start filming the pair choosing process.”

“I have to wear makeup?” Taekwoon asks, nose wrinkling at the thought.

“Everyone does on camera unless you want to look sickly under the lighting. It’s a hazard of the job,” Hongbin shrugs then holds a hand to his ear listening intently. “Okay, sounds like one of the makeup artists is free now, so we’ll just head back.”

Taekwoon belatedly realizes that Hongbin has an earpiece in as he obediently follows him to the dressing area. He plops down as told into a high chair in front of a wall length vanity.

“I’m having flashbacks of my sisters dressing me up,” Taekwoon mutters darkly drawing a laugh from Hongbin and the stylist in charge of him as she immediately starts testing shades of foundation against his skin.

“That’s right, you have three sisters, don’t you?” Hongbin asks, drawing his attention away from the newcomer encroaching upon his personal space.

Taekwoon’s eyes widen in surprise that Hongbin remembered that from his drawing, “Mmhmm, All older,” he confirms. “Where are the other contestants?” he asks suddenly, realizing that no one else is in the room but them.

“They’re finished already. This is also my fault, apparently call time was 10:30, not 11:00.”

The stylist works quickly, and true to Hongbin’s word doesn’t do much more than smooth out his features and tone down his shine. Taekwoon breathes a sigh of relief.

“Sorry to rush you, but any last minute questions before I throw you to the proverbial wolves?” Hongbin asks as Taekwoon meets his eyes in the mirror.

“How are the pairings chosen? Did you already come up with them?” he asks apprehensively. New people were not his strong suit, so this whole adventure was a giant leap outside of his comfort zone.

“No, we have a color-coded paint stirrer system,” Hongbin explains. “It’s random. Each contestant picks a stick that corresponds with one of the pros. You’ll choose one and find out which color goes to which person after the fact so that there aren’t any fights over who gets paired with who or anyone being the ‘last chosen.’”

Taekwoon’s eyes widen, and Hongbin bursts out in laughter again at the reaction. Taekwoon scowls at him, then sucks in his bottom lip, chewing it lightly. “Am I going to recognize any of them?”

“Depends. How familiar are you with DIY Youtubers?”

Taekwoon’s brow furrows. He’d watched a few videos on the bus ride over last weekend and a couple more during the week—he even learned how to re-purpose one of his old sweaters into a cat bed for Mochi—but other than that he was ignorant.

“Well, that answers that question. I’ll go out on a limb and say no. It’ll be a learning experience for you,” The intern grins, dimples on full display again.

Taekwoon nods and feels that little bubble of anxiety starting to form in the pit of his stomach again. He stands to follow Hongbin who is beckoning him forward, but turns to the stylist before he leaves, “Thank you,” he says to her and gives her a small smile and a bow. She returns the smile and shoos him away.

When they return to set, Taekwoon is surprised to find that things really do seem to have calmed down some. Most of the production staff are lining the walls or behind cameras, so the wide expanse of the studio they are to film in is on display. Taekwoon takes a deep breath and wills himself to stay calm.

“Okay,” Hongbin is saying as he leads him toward a few other nervous looking people, “this is where I leave you.” 

Taekwoon gives him a mildly panicked look in return. 

“They’re contestants too. You’ll be fine.”

And then he’s gone and Taekwoon is left alone with the other contestants and he begins to question every life decision he has made to lead him to this moment. Before he can get too lost in his head though, a loud laugh draws all of their attention and Wonshik, the director he met briefly at his interview, and another man are walking on to set. The man is made up in a pink sweater and light washed jeans, his dyed blond hair swept neatly up off his forehead, but Wonshik’s deep voice soon draws his attention back before Taekwoon can get a good look at his face.

“Good afternoon and welcome!” Wonshik calls out. “Welcome to the first season of Craft It! We are just about to get production started, but I wanted to make sure to thank each one of you for your involvement. We know that you are giving up your weekends to this competition, and while there will be a prize at the end for one of you, not everyone will win.” 

Taekwoon snorts at the declaration, drawing the attention of the girl next to him. He studiously ignores her.

“Okay, so you know the basic rundown of the series, but I’m going to remind you anyway. We have six crafting experts paired with six crafting novices. Each week will feature a different theme with a Quick Craft challenge that is 20 minutes, an upcycle challenge that is 45 minutes. These are all filmed on Staurday. “Wonshik explains.

The contestants nod and he keeps going.

“On Sunday you will have the Final Craft Challenge that will need to be completed within a four hour time limit. Each week one pair will be sent home. We have a panel of judges who will determine which pairs continue filming and which leaves. Contestants and experts will be allowed and encouraged to have contact outside of the competition as much as their respective schedules allow so that they can practice and prepare for the next week’s challenge. As well as bring a maximum of three pre-prepared or store bought items.”

Today we are filming our pairing session so each pair can meet before you have to craft together. This will give all of you time to prep for the first episode and see how you will work together.”

Taekwoon blinks at the massive amount of information he was just fed. 

“Lastly, I want to introduce you to our Main MC, Mr. Lee Jaewhan,” Wonshik continues. “He’s here to facilitate things and to ask you questions while you work. As filming goes along, Jaehwan will get to know you and your strengths and weaknesses as teams. Please be nice to him, he’s a delicate child.”

“I’m older than you,” Jaehwan interjects cheerfully drawing a laugh from the contestants. 

Taekwoon gapes at the man before him, eyes comically wide before he manages to school his features back into place. Jaehwan to his credit only stumbles a little upon spotting Taekwoon. They come to a silent agreement to not mention anything.

“Now, who is ready to get this thing going?” Jaehwan’s voice is bright.

Taekwoon claps along with the eager cheering of his fellow contestants and holds his breath as Wonshik steps aside and Jaehwan takes over.

“This part is only going to be a short piece in the first episode,” he explains as he takes his place for filming. “They’ll edit down the whole process into five minutes even though it will take us at least twenty, probably thirty, to get everyone paired up,” Jaehwan laughs. “First, I’m going to bring out the professionals and then when I call your name, you’re going to come up and choose one of the paint stirrers I’m holding. Everyone good?” he asks them. 

At their affirmative nods, he beams at them. 

“Okay, we’re going to start rolling now. Big smiles, everyone,” Wonshik calls off camera.

Taekwoon watches as Wonshik gestures and a line of people file past them to stand opposite the line of contestants. He takes in each person, noting how stylish or quirky they all seem to be with their bright colors, flowy skirts, or homemade looking pieces. When he gets to one of the professionals, a flash of recognition crosses him as he realizes he is the pretty guy that was getting off the elevator as Taekwoon was leaving the interview. _Interesting_ his mind supplies unhelpfully.

“Kim Minsoo, you’re first,” Jaehwan says to a girl somewhere to Taekwoon’s right. They all watch as she gingerly steps forward and takes hold of one of the sticks in the mason jar in Jaehwan’s outstretched hand. It is a sunny yellow color and a small girl with a bright smile and a bucket hat happily steps forward. “

“Oh, looks like you’re paired up with Jung Wheein! Please make your way to one of the workstations behind you,” Jaehwan instructs.

Two more contestants walk forward and soon Seo Junghoon is paired up with Gyujin and Lee Jia is partnered with Bong Jaehyun

Taekwoon is fourth in choosing. He licks his lips before walking forward, praying with every step he does not trip and fall on his face. Luckily he makes it and is facing his choice, looking down at the three remaining stirrers. One is associated with his pretty boy, the others with the last two professionals. Navy, green, or pink. He takes hold of the navy one and looks up to see pretty boy’s mouth open to a soft “oh” of surprise as he steps forward. “Jung Taekwoon, you are paired up with Cha Hakyeon. Please make your way to one of the workstations in the back.”

Taekwoon grips the stick tightly as he and Hakyeon thread themselves through the tables to the open one in the back left corner of the set. He perches himself on a stool, Hakyeon on the one next to him, and together they watch as Park Jeohyun is paired with Kim Mingyu and Kim Seolhyun is paired up with Lee Taeyong.

“Now that all of our teams are paired up, we will give you the next hour to get to know one another and to start strategizing for our first week. The theme will be Party Week,” Jaehwan informs the room. “Let’s go!”

Taekwoon, at a loss, blinks over at Hakyeon next to him. “I don’t know who you are,” he says bluntly.

Hakyeon barks out a laugh, hand coming up to cover his mouth and eyes scrunching at the confession. “That’s okay, I don’t know who you are either,” he returns, eyes sparkling.

Taekwoon stares and waits for Hakyeon to continue.

“My name is Cha Hakyeon, and I run a YouTube channel where I do DIY projects and talk about home décor. I have 15,000 subscribers, but my channel has only been up for about three months.”

“_15,000_ people want to watch you paint things?” Taekwoon asks in confusion.

“Hopefully more than that will once the show starts airing,” Hakyeon laughs in reply. “You’re really not into this, are you? What made you come on the show then?”

“Han Sanghyuk. My junior at work. He knows I’m competitive and played up on that. He’s also friends with one of the interns named Hongbin.”

“Ahh, Hongbinnie is a good kid, so I’m sure your Sanghyuk is as well.”

“Hongbinnie?” Taekwoon asks, brow scrunched in confusion.

“Oh, that’s how I got cast. I grew up with Wonshik, and Hongbin started working with him about a year and a half ago? They’re both like my little brothers now, so I know both of them very well.”

Taekwoon’s mouth forms a small “oh” as understanding dawns on him. “Will that help us in the competition?”

Hakyeon snorts at that, “If anything it will hurt us since they both like to see me suffer. Anyway, even though it seems you don’t want to be here much, I hope you at least have fun while we’re together. Can you tell me a little about your life?” Hakyeon asks grabbing one of the pads of paper and a pen conveniently set up at their station.

“I’m Jung Taekwoon, a junior accountant, and I have a cat named Mochi. I’m the youngest of four, I have three older sisters and the cutest nephew and soon to be niece in the entire world,” Taekwoon informs him blandly.

“Any pictures?” Hakyeon asks, interested. He’s jotting down notes about Taekwoon as he listens. 

“Of the cat or the baby? Or how about the cat and the baby?” Taekwoon asks quickly and fishes his phone out of his pocket. He doesn’t even have to work to find the picture, pressing the screen and beaming when the background shows a gray tabby curled up against his sleeping nephew. “Isn’t it adorable?”

“Oh, that _is_ adorable. I love babies.” Hakyeon coos.

Taekwoon grins back at him smugly, “I told you.”

“What about hobbies? Do you do any DIY stuff at all?” Hakyeon asks once Taekwoon returns his phone to his pocket.

“Not really. I did make a cat bed out of an old sweater, but I’m more into sports than anything. And songwriting,” the last part is added on softly and he’s not even sure why he said it.

Hakyeon hums interestedly, “So you _are_ a creator as well!”

Taekwoon scoffs at the words, shaking his head and protesting, but Hakyeon barrels on through.

“What about your schedule? We can start to strategize and maybe meet up sometime this week to finalize details of the Final Craft and brainstorm ideas of what the Quick Craft and the upcycled might be?”

“I work the usual 8:00-5:00, but sometimes have some overtime I need to stay for,” Taekwoon responds. “Do you just do YouTube or do you have another real job you do?” he realizes belatedly that the question may be insulting, but Hakyeon doesn’t even bat an eye. 

“I’m a freelance interior designer, so I make my own hours.” 

“My mom would tell me to hire you,” Taekwoon grumps. “She hates how I decorate.”

“I’m not cheap,” Hakyeon tells him, a glint in his eye.

_No,_ Taekwoon thinks, _nothing about you seems cheap._ “So the first week is parties?” Taekwoon ventures, steering the conversation back to the show. “What do you think that means?”

“I think they’ll have us decorating for a party of our choice as the big project. So, like, maybe making a cake, and decorating the room. Party favors, plates and cups, the usual party fare,” Hakyeon suggests.

“Can’t you just buy all that?” Taekwoon asks. 

Hakyeon scoffs at him, “You can, yes, but why would you?”

“It saves time,” Taekwoon shrugs, “makes it easier.”

Hakyeon looks actually offended for a second before he perks back up. “I’ll convert you. Just you wait.”

Taekwoon isn’t sure if that’s supposed to sound like a threat, but he stops asking questions anyway. The hour is quickly drawing to a close as they both throw out potential party ideas and exchange information before Taekwoon leaves first. He’s feeling both more and less stressed since being paired up with Hakyeon, and he needs some time to work through that since he’s going to need to balance the attraction he is starting to feel with reality.

His bus ride home is uneventful, but more crowded than he would like, so he’s forced to stand which doesn’t help his mood much. He orders jjajangmyeon in hopes that it will get there shortly after he does, and fires off a quick message to Jaehwan.

_Why didn’t you tell me you got a hosting job??_

**why didn’t u tell me u got cast on a crafting show??**

_I didn’t think it was relevant_

Taekwoon types as he steps off the bus and makes his way towards his apartment.

**seems pretty relevant now. do u think we need to tell someone?**

_I’m not sure. Maybe just in case it comes out somehow? How did you get cast?_

**i know Wonshik from collabing with him on a song last year. he found one of my vids and asked me to sing on one of his tracks.**

_Mention it to him then. That way if they need to re-cast me they can do it sooner rather than it fucking up the whole filming._

**got it. i’ll find him now and see what he says.**

Taekwoon walks the rest of the way to his apartment with that bubble of anxiety again working its way into his chest. Once home, he toes off his shoes and drops his bag by the door, leaving it to be dealt with later. He goes to his room, careful to keep his ears open for the buzzer, and finds his cat curled up in the patch of sunlight at the foot of his bed—her usual afternoon lounging spot.

“Hey there, pretty girl,” he greets her as he rubs her ears. “Let me change and then I’ll get you fed before my food gets here.”

Mochi presses up into the palm of his hand in response and he smiles down at her fondly before he turns and digs soft gray sweatpants and a black tank top out of his drawers and makes quick work of changing into them. He snags a hoodie as well before he heads to the kitchen to pour some food for Mochi and to grab a beer for himself.

After his dinner arrives, he settles down at his table and grabs his laptop. Now seems like as good a time as any to begin researching his new partner in crafting, and Hakyeon had mentioned that he has a YouTube channel, so some reconnaissance can’t hurt. He quickly finds his channel and sees that he only has four videos posted so far, but none of them have real titles or descriptions, just an ambiguous thumbnail and a date. He clicks on the oldest one and lets it play.

Hakyeon’s first video is of him making candles and Taekwoon is more enraptured by it than he could have ever anticipated. The process is methodical, with Hakyeon taking the time to wipe down the canister and each vessel for the wax. Taekwoon finds himself begrudgingly impressed that Hakyeon has thought to use nonstandard things to fill—tea cups, old tea tins _I wonder if this is a play on his name?_ he thinks as the Hakyeon on screen carefully pours the wax. He also finds himself enthralled by the hands and forearms that fill the screen.

He eats as he watches, the videos set to autoplay, and doesn’t realize he’s finished until he’s scraping at the bottom of his bowl. After all of the videos have played, he wishes there were more because they were oddly relaxing. 

As Taekwoon is sliding into his sheets later a message from Jaehwan lights up the screen.

**he says it’s fine since he knows hakyeon too, but he’s going to mention it to the pr team so they can control how it gets out instead of having to worry about potential damage control later.**

Taekwoon is surprised to find himself relieved by the news that he gets to stay on for filming.


	2. Episode One: Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thanks to the k!bas discord for listening to me whine about edits. Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think?

Monday morning, Taekwoon oversleeps and is twenty minutes late to work. Normally that wouldn’t be a big deal, but after booting up his computer he gets a ping for a meeting that starts in ten minutes that he has no idea what is about. “Hyogi!” he hisses at the younger walking by, “What meeting is this?”

Sanghyuk gives him a sympathetic look, “We’re trying to snag that new account with JAS Corp, so it’s all hands on deck to get the proposal ready.”

Taekwoon heaves a sigh, new accounts are a Big Deal and usually mean long nights until the proposal date, which is _just_ what he needs while starting the competition. “Great, thanks,” he says before dropping his things at his desk and following Sanghyuk to the conference room upstairs.

Right before the meeting starts, he gets a text from Hakyeon that just contains an image of color swatches and “what do you think?” Taekwoon gives the phone a puzzled look before dismissing the text and shoving the phone in his bag. 

He doesn’t look at it again until the meeting ends two hours later. Hakyeon had sent a series of texts, each with different color pallets and possible theme ideas, then a few follow up texts with “hello?” “are you ignoring me?” “I guess you’re busy”

Just as he goes to respond, his boss catches him on his way to his cube and steers him toward his office instead, eager to talk strategy and how they can land the account. Taekwoon makes a mental note to respond to Hakyeon during lunch, but he’s distracted again by another meeting and then by starting to put a task list and timeline together to make sure he stays on track.

When he finally gets home, he changes his clothes, feeds Mochi, and settles on some instant ramyun for himself. He’s perched on the edge of his couch, laptop open in front of him and Hakyeon’s YouTube channel pulled up before he realizes it. He lets the quiet soothe him as rewatches the same videos from last night and he winces when he remembers the series of texts he had inadvertently ignored earlier. He grabs his phone and thumbs at the screen, composing the text in his head before he starts to type it.

_Sorry, busy day at work. I like most of those colors except the third one. I’m okay with any theme really, but I think a kid’s party would be the most fun since you said you have nieces and nephews too._

He’s not surprised when Hakyeon doesn’t text him back before he goes to bed.

Tuesday starts much the same way that Monday did. He’s busy from the second he walks in, gathering data and processing it against the previous numbers and running those against future expenditures. It’s tedious and time consuming, and Taekwoon is grateful when his phone buzzes, forcing him to take a break. 

He glances at the screen, not recognizing the contact number, but answering anyway. “Hello?” he asks tentatively.

“Hey, it’s Hongbin.”

Taekwoon furrows his brow, confused as to why Hongbin would be calling him, “Hi. Why are you calling me at 11:23 on a Tuesday morning?” he asks glancing toward the clock in the corner of his monitor.

“You need to respond to texts from your partner,” Hongbin says as if reading from a script.

“I was busy yesterday and I did text him back last night,” Taekwoon says defensively. “And how do you know I didn’t answer? Did Hakyeon tell on me?”

“Yes, he did,” Hongbin snorts. “He’s abusing his privilege of being a friend and making me call you right now.”

Taekwoon hears a muffled thump and a muttered “ow” from Hongbin and pulls the phone away from his face, staring at it with concern. “Is he there now?” he asks in a horrified whisper.

“Yep,” Hongbin confirms. “He’s more violent than he looks—ow, Hyung. Please stop hitting me, I need what brain cells I have left.”

“I think this competition might end up being the weirdest thing I’ve ever agreed to do,” Taekwoon tells him quietly.

“Just try and text him back within the hour from now on if you can manage. If not he can get over himself,” Hongbin says before bidding him goodbye and ending the call.

Not even a full minute later a text comes through from Hakyeon.

Whatever Binnie told you is a lie

_So you didn’t strong arm him into calling me and telling me to answer your texts?_

I would NEVER

_Right. Well, you sent a bunch yesterday and like I said the only colors I didn’t like were the third set—with the baby shit green_

Please picture me looking extremely offended right now. What about atheme then?

_. A doljanchi maybe?. You have nieces and nephews you said. You’ve been to one._

brilliant, but we still need a theme

_Do we have to settle that right now? I’m in the middle of work_

Okay, I’ll stop bothering you now. Work hard! Taekwoon fighting!

Taekwoon huffs out a laugh at the last message and turns back to his report, a small smile still lingering on his lips.

\------

Wednesday evening, Hakyeon is at home, sleeves rolled up and hands covered in sawdust from the table he is sanding down to refinish when his phone buzzes in his pocket. It’s just the distraction he’s been dying for, so he switches the sander off and sets it on the table before swiping his hands down the thighs of his sweatpants in a semblance of cleaning them before he digs the device out. Taekwoon’s name and an image attachment pop up on the screen when he hits the lock button, and he’s quickly pressing his finger to the scanner to see what he sent, which turns out to be an unsolicited picture of a cat curled up on his lap and an empty wine glass in his hand.

_I think she thinks I drink too much. She’s not letting me get a refill_

Hakyeon snorts at the text. But as he eyes the pretty kitty, an idea sparks and he’s pressing the call button.

“Cats!” Hakyeon practically shouts sounding far more excited than he should before Taekwoon can even greet him.

“Cats?” Taekwoon asks confused.

“A cat theme! We can have cat ears as party favors, serve milk and cookies along with the cake, some goldfish, and other stuff. It’s _perfect_,” Hakyeon explains quickly.

“I like cats.”

Hakyeon can practically hear the shrug in his voice and he deflates a bit. “I don’t want to push you into anything you don’t like. We can come up with another theme if you want, I just saw your text and had the idea.”

“No, I like the idea, we should do it,” Taekwoon responds, voice firm.

“You’re not just saying that so I’ll shut up?”

“Hakyeon, I own a cat. A cat theme is great. Please shut up now.”

“Excellent!” Hakyeon snorts. “I’ll throw together some swatches, start a mood board. Send me anything you find that you think we can use,” he instructs as he grabs a pad of paper and starts to list the ideas that are already running through his head.

“Uh, sure,” Taekwoon replies hesitantly. “I don’t know how helpful I’ll really be though, I don’t even know what a mood board is,” he confesses.

“Hush, you’ve already been excellent help.”

“I’m also sorry I haven’t been as responsive as you were probably hoping with Hongbin’s call from yesterday. I actually got a huge project thrown at me on Monday when I got to work and it’s supposed to span the length of the entire recording schedule if we make it to finals week,” the guilt in his voice filters through the tinny speaker on Hakyeon’s phone.

Hakyeon hums sympathetically, “That is terrible timing, but don’t worry! We can do this. We already have a great concept and I have a lighter day tomorrow so I can start sketching out ideas for the Final Craft. If you’re available Friday night we can meet and go over ideas, or just wait until after filming on Saturday.”

“Honestly, Saturday would be best for me,” Taekwoon replies apologetically. “I usually go to my parents’ for dinner on Fridays.”

“Oh, then that settles it. Fridays are for family and the rest of the weekend is for crafting.”

They spend a few more minutes ironing out the finer details with Taekwoon volunteering to take over the food aspects and Hakyeon to take the lead on decorations and staging. 

Hakyeon lets out a soft sigh after he hangs up, lips curling slightly as he thinks of Taekwoon in an apron baking cat shaped cookies for his nephew. Suddenly, an idea occurs to him. His fingers are moving, navigating to his web browser before he even registers it. He finds the perfect cookie cutters on page three that luckily have next day shipping if he pays the extra fee. He adds them to his cart and texts Hongbin for Taekwoon’s work address so he can send it there as a surprise.

\------

Friday Taekwoon sneaks out of work early to make a test batch of the cookies for the Final Craft on Sunday. Armed with a recipe he found online and Hakyeon’s surprise delivery of cookie cutters, he gets to work shortly after getting home. If they’re any good he can bring them with him to his parents’ later to show them what he’s gotten into first hand. 

The mixing goes smoothly, everything blending together and forming a dough of good consistency. He only makes a small batch to test, two of each cookie, so he ends up with two cat heads, two fish, and two paw prints, chilling them before he bakes them so that they keep their shape better (according to the website anyway). He cleans up his mess as they bake, soaking the bowl and measuring cups and wiping down the counters and shooing Mochi away so she doesn’t track the excess flour all over his apartment.

Once they are baked he sets them aside to cool and snaps a picture, sending it to Hakyeon with the caption “test batch!”

Have you tasted them yet?

_Not yet. They’re cooling now. Waiting to decorate too._

Inform me immediately

Taekwoon snorts at the response and returns to cleaning up his mess, washing the dishes he set aside earlier and putting everything back into place. Once the kitchen is clean, he works on creating a new mess of royal icing in the various colors he’ll need for decorating. He’s overly cautious in adding the water, making sure that his icing isn’t too thin to set properly and then working carefully to tint them so they’re not too saturated and jarring against the color palette Hakyeon had set. “Now for decorating,” He says to Mochi, who subsequently ignores him and continues lounging on the floor near his feet, tail flicking happily as she hopes for spills.

He outlines the cookies neatly, taking care to make sure the lines are straight. He goes for a contrast with the faces, choosing to outline them in black, but fill in with the pink he tinted. The fish get filled in using the soft blue, and the paw prints in the light green. Filling also goes relatively well. He starts slow, adding just enough to cover the surface, then more so that it meets the top of the outline. He snaps another picture and sends a progress update to Hakyeon who responds with heart eye emojis.

The details are where it all falls apart. One of his first cat’s eyes are smaller than the other, giving it a slightly wonky appearance, and the whiskers are too close together, so two of the lines merge and end up looking messy. The mouth is disproportionate, and by the end the poor thing ends up looking like it had a run in with a brick wall before making its way to the tray.

The second one is even worse, everything seeming to bleed together and look like a play on tie dye before he gives up and doesn’t even try and give it a mouth.

The bones of the skeleton fish he had envisioned turn into random stripes that look nothing like a skeleton and he doesn’t even attempt to do the second one opting to leave it the solid blue. He does the same with the paws.

_You may need to be the decorator here. Even I can tell these are no good_

He texts Hakyeon miserably.

Send me a pic? It might not be as bad as you think?

_It is._

Taekwoon snaps a pic of his sad cats and the lone decorated fish and the rest of the solid color cookies and sends it.

He’s waiting for an extended period of time, watching the three dots appear and disappear as Hakyeon types and erases, then suddenly his phone is ringing.

“Hello?” Taekwoon asks tentatively.

“The fill is good!” Hakyeon says by way of greeting. “I think you just tried to go too fast. You need to let the main layer dry if you want fine details, and that takes a while. They’ll have a dehydrator for us on set, so it won’t take as long. Really, for your first time, they’re not bad,” he says reassuringly.

“Thank you, even if you are lying to me,” Taekwoon says smiling despite the mess in front of him.

“I’m not lying,” Hakyeon says insistently. “Did you taste them?”

“No, I haven’t yet. I can now though.” Taekwoon takes the non-skeleton fish and picks it up, gingerly biting it’s head off and chewing thoughtfully. “It’s good,” he says, a pleased smile on his face.

“That’s the more important thing anyway. All else fails we’ll skip on the full decorating and just leave them as minimally decorated without the fine details,” Hakyeon says. “They’re obviously cats and cat-themed, so fancy decorations are a bonus.”

“Thank you,” Taekwoon says again, “I think I’m more nervous about this than I realized.” He says bending down to Mochi and gently rubbing her ears to soothe himself.

“I’m nervous too,” Hakyeon confesses. “I know I record videos, and kind of do this for a living, but this is _actual_ television. We’ll get through this together.”

“We will.”

Minyul practically bowls him over the second he walks in the door, but Taekwoon just scoops him up one handed obediently and presses kisses into his cheeks as he deftly moves his tray of cookies to the other hand. “I missed you,” he says giving the boy another squeeze and walking with him into the living room.

“Hey, Woonie,” his sister, Taemi, greets from where she’s seated on the couch.

“Hi Noona,” Taekwoon responds. “I think I found something that belongs to you,” he says. Minyul giggles and beams at his mother from Taekwoon’s arms.

“You can keep him,” she replies playfully.

“A Minyullie of my very own? Why thank you! Let’s go tell grandma and give her the cookies I made,” he grins heading toward the kitchen. 

“You made cookies? Why?” his sister’s voice follows him, but Taekwoon ignores her in favor of finding his mother and the food she is cooking.

Once inside, he sets down both his nephew and the cookies, then leans in to hug his mom who is putting the finishing touches on what smells like heaven. “I’m going to move back home so you can cook for me every night,” he says kissing her cheek.

“No you’re not,” she replies with a laugh, drawing a pout from him.

“Grandma is so mean to me,” he whines to his nephew who is watching them curiously.

“She’s nice to me,” Minyul replies with a shrug before turning and raising his arms to his grandmother expectantly for a hug.

Taekwoon splutters as his mother winks at him before obligingly scooping up the boy. “You’re grandma’s favorite aren’t you?” She coos.

Minyul preens under her affection, snuggling in and giving Taekwoon a very self-satisfied smile. Taekwoon can’t help but laugh, “I think we’ve created a monster,” he stage whispers to his mother as she sets down the boy.

“Go tell your mommy dinner is ready,” she tells him. They both laugh as he takes off into the living room, socked feet sliding on the floor as he rounds the corner. Once they’re alone, she slides her arms around Taekwoon and kisses his cheek, “You know you’ll always be welcome here.”

Taekwoon rests his head on hers and gives her another hug. He inhales, taking in the scent of the food and the underlying scent that is his mother, the ultimate comfort. “What can I help with?”

She sets him the task of setting the table and helping to bring the dishes over. She asks questions about what he’s been up to, and her eyes widen as he gives her a preview of his Big News, saying only that he got a side gig in show business.

“Your songs?”

“No, not singing,” he shakes his head, heart rate picking up at the thought of singing on television. “Something else,” he says cryptically.

Much to his mother’s annoyance, he waits until dessert to tell his family about the show, drawing laughs and playful jabs from his sister when he produces what he has deemed his “disaster cookies” with a flourish and a “You’ll see these on TV soon.”

At the confused looks of the others, he explains, “One of my juniors at work asked me to help his friend out who was casting for a new reality show. They pair people who are professionally artistic and crafty up with people like me who have no experience. We start filming tomorrow and this was my test batch.”

“Did they cast you as a joke?” Taemi asks eying the cookies distrustfully.

“No. At least I don’t think so?” Taekwoon asks, his teeth worrying his lower lip the more he thinks about it.

“I’m sorry, it’s just, you are a terrible artist, Taekwoonie,” she says shaking her head. “Even as a kid you were bad. We just didn’t have the heart to tell you.”

“My art is not _that_ bad, I’m just new to cookie decorating,” Taekwoon returns, a pout on his face. He turns to his mom, “You appreciate my art, right?”

“I appreciate it, my love, but your sister is right. You’re not meant to illustrate in this life,” she says with a gentle smile.

Taekwoon groans frustratedly and turns to his dad, hoping he will at least back him up. All he gets is a shake of the head in response and Taekwoon sighs, forlornly. “At least my partner appreciates me,” he grumbles. “Will you at least try the cookies instead of just making fun of me over them?”

Reluctantly, his sister takes a cookie, giving it another hard look before taking a tentative bite. As she chews, her eyes widen, and she breaks into a smile. “These are actually really good. I hope the judges are blind though.”

Taekwoon throws a balled up napkin at her drawing a reprimand from his mom and a laugh from both his father and nephew.

After dinner, he settles in the living room as the number one fan of new idol sensation Choi Minyul. He watches as his nephew puts on a full concert, going through his repertoire of “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and “The Three Bears.” Taekwoon films a bit, singing along gently in the background and sending the clip to Hakyeon.

_Good news: my family loved the cookies and my nephew is the cutest_

He’s adorable, but mine is pretty cute too Hakyeon responds a few minutes later attaching a picture of both him and a young boy laying down together and smiling at the camera. 

Taekwoon smiles, heart melting a bit.

_Very cute_

We are aren’t we?

Taekwoon snorts at his phone drawing the attention of his sister.

“Who has you smiling at your screen like that?” she teases.

“I’m just laughing at my partner. He’s ridiculous,” Taekwoon hedges and pockets his phone.

“It’s good that he’s paired up with you then,” she says.

Taekwoon ignores her and makes his goodbyes soon after, asking his family to wish him luck before he leaves to try and get some sleep before the first day of filming.

When Saturday morning rolls around, Taekwoon can’t help but wake up earlier than normal due to nerves. He finds himself staring at his ceiling and going through waves of nervousness and excitement, hoping that he and Hakyeon don’t get eliminated day one and that this wasn’t all a pointless endeavor. At Mochi’s pathetic meow, he finally rolls out of bed to get her some food and himself some much needed coffee.

Hongbin had sent a text telling him that he would need to be able to repeat his outfit for the following day to keep consistency for filming, but he second guesses it a few times before finally settling on light wash denim, a white t-shirt, and a gray cardigan over it. He leaves his hair down, deciding that simple is probably easiest. 

“I’ll be home later, be good,” he says dropping a kiss on the top of his cat’s head before he is sliding into his shoes and locking the door behind him. 

When he arrives at the studio, he finds himself in the same makeup chair as the previous week, the same stylist working on him. He finds her presence soothing, something “normal” to combat the nerves he feels thrumming through his body. He’s just about to send a text to Hakyeon, ask him when he’s going to arrive, when he sees him over his shoulder in the reflection of the mirror. 

Hakyeon’s face breaks into a grin when their eyes meet, and he sets his bag on the couch next to Taekwoon’s before coming to stand next to him.

“Getting all dolled up for today?”

Taekwoon makes a face in reply, drawing a loud laugh in response from the other and a scowl from the stylist for moving under her touch.

“Easy, I’m teasing.”

They both turn their heads as the door opens and laughter floats in as Junhoo and Gyujin walk into the room. The duo settle down into chairs to the right of Taekwoon, giving polite smiles and waves as they settle in and a couple of other stylists float in to begin working on them.

Taekwoon clams up again at the presence of people he doesn’t know well. He wants to say something, to greet them beyond a nod of his head, but the words are stuck. Luckily Hakyeon is there to bridge the gap.

“Gyujin-ssi, the cards you made in your last video were amazing. I’ll need to watch it again to make sure I get that stamping technique down,” he says.

“Oh, thank you!” Gyujin replies, eyes wide and smile bright. “I wasn’t sure about the color combination at first, but the final product made me really happy.”

Taekwoon watches through the mirror as Hakyeon beams back at Gyujin, then slides his gaze back to meet Taekwoon’s. He can feel his cheeks heating from having Hakyeon’s attention focused on him again and fights down the urge to duck his head out of sight. Hakyeon’s bubbling laughter tells him he may have noticed.

As filming starts, Taekwoon finds himself instantly sweating under the heat of the lights and the gaze of the cameras. Jaehwan’s excited voice is welcoming them to the competition and eases some of Taekwoon’s tension.

“Welcome to episode one of Craft It! We are kicking things off with Party Week and our contestants are ready to get the party started! We scoured SNS sites and have gathered eight of the craftiest people we could find and paired them with self-proclaimed crafting amateurs who are ready to test their skills and see who will be the last Craft It! duo standing in the end!” 

Taekwoon throws Hakyeon an apprehensive look as the camera trained on them pans down the line of contestants. Hakyeon gives him a smile and reaches over, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s just have fun, okay?” Hakyeon says.

“But we have to win,” Taekwoon counters, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“Let’s win then,” Hakyeon laughs.

“Okay crafters, here is your first Quick Craft challenge. Since social media has infiltrated all aspects of daily life, you will need to make props that could be used in a photobooth as well as create a hashtag that guests can use on SNS sites to share party pictures. The duo that wows our judges will receive an advantage in the Final Craft round,” Jaehwan explains. “Is everyone ready?”

“Yes!” the contestants and crafters shout back.

“You have twenty minutes, get crafting!” Jaehwan shouts.

Taekwoon and Hakyeon sprint for their workstation, their dedicated camera person following them, and Taekwoon feels a bit lost until he sees the smile lighting up Hakyeon’s face. “You have an idea?”

“I have an idea,” Hakyeon confirms. “This is easy. Let’s just make things we can use to decorate tomorrow during the Final Craft challenge, that way it won’t be a total waste of time. We can make cat ears, some fish on string that we can hang up, and maybe some cute paws or something,” he rattles off all the while sketching quick ideas on the butcher paper lining their table. “We can use card stock, construction paper, some of those wooden dowels and the headbands,” he continues, gesturing toward the craft closet they have available. “I’ll grab the paper, you grab the dowels and headbands.” 

Taekwoon nods, then jogs over to the closet, grabbing what he needs and meeting Hakyeon back at the table. “I’ve never really made anything like this before,” Taekwoon says quickly dropping the supplies onto the table.

“That’s okay, we’re starting small,” Hakyeon assures as he sorts the items. “We’ll start with the fish since we need several of those.”

Taekwoon nods, and watches Hakyeon’s hands intently as he folds the paper quickly into a basic fish shape. “Think you can do this?” At Taekwoon’s nod, Hakyeon beams. “Great, I’ll start on the ears then, while you fold fish. We’ll make about six of them, and then string them up.”

Taekwoon works quickly, but methodically. Following Hakyeon’s instructions to a T and is pleased when the results actually look like fish even if they aren’t uniform. “Hakyeon,” he implores, showing him the handful of fish proudly. 

“Perfect!” Hakyeon says, then holds up one of the four completed headbands he’s made. The ears are pastel colors to match their theme. He slips a pair onto Taekwoon’s head, beaming at the disgruntled face Taekwoon makes in response. “And adorable,” he coos.

“Oh, that is _cute_” Jaehwan’s voice startles Taekwoon and he turns to him, eyes wide and moves to swipe the ears off of his head, but Hakyeon’s gentle hand on his wrist stops him. “Why cats?” he questions.

“We’re honoring Taekwoon’s cat Mochi,” Hakyeon supplies easily, drawing Jaehwan’s attention to him as he cuts out paws made from paper and glues them to a few of the wooden dowels. “Plus, everyone looks cute with ears,” he says grabbing a pair of ears and settling them his own head, then another on Jaehwan’s head drawing a delighted laugh out of him.

“Very true. Well, you only have three minutes left—are you going to finish?” Jaehwan asks.

“We’re putting the finishing touches on now,” Hakyeon says as he settles the last paw and begins to cut fishing line and loop it around the longest wooden dowel Taekwoon grabbed.

“I’m guessing you already have your hashtag decided too then?”

Taekwoon, studiously punching small holes at the top of each fish and handing them to Hakyeon to tie off at varying intervals, feels his stomach drop at those words. He throws a panicked look at Hakyeon who is beaming at Jaehwan looking completely unruffled.

“Of course we do.”

“Good luck then,” Jaehwan says smiling and wandering off towards another team.

The second he’s gone, Hakyen whirls towards Taekwoon, eyes wide, “What kind of hashtag can go with a cat party? It needs to be a pun, but what kind of pun? Meow? Paws?”

“I’m one meow?” Taekwoon asks handing Hakyeon the last fish.

“You are _brilliant_ Jung Taekwoon,” Hakyeon beams back at him.

Taekwoon feels himself flush and shrugs off the compliment, “It’s not that good,” he protests.

“Hush and take the nice words.”

Taekwoon bites his tongue and ducks his head, eyes glued to their crafting area. He’s surprised at how much they’ve gotten done and how good it looks, to him anyway, in the short amount of time. He goes back to work, getting everything arranged for the photo booth and placing the paws in the little container set off to the side. With thirty seconds to go, they’re hanging the fish up behind them and Hakyeon is reaching out for a high five, ears still happily perched on his head. Taekwoon once again tries to remove his own, but at Hakyeon’s glance his hands still.

“Okay Crafters, put the glue guns down and step away from your workstations please,” Jaehwan calls out.

They step back obediently, and Taekwoon takes the chance to look around him to see what each of the other teams has decided to make. One of the teams has gone with a beach theme, using a beachball, sunglasses, and a foam boogie board. Another has a fantasy theme complete with unicorns and wizard hats. He throws a smug look at Hakyeon, confident that their creations are better than at least some of the others offered.

As the judges approach, Taekwoon feels his heartbeat speed up a bit, but Hakyeon steps a little closer to him and whispers “even if we don’t win I am really proud of what we did. I think this proves we’ll be a great team.” 

Taekwoon finds himself nodding and biting back a smile. 

“Can you tell us about what you’ve made today?” Heechul asks, eyes trained on Taekwoon.

“We decided to get a jumpstart on tomorrow, so we made things that go with the theme of the birthday party we’ll be throwing,” Hakyeon says drawing the attention to himself. “We have ear headbands, a backdrop, and paws on sticks that guests can use to turn themselves into cats.”

“A cat theme? Are you fur-real? You’re not kitten me?” Jaehwan asks, pausing for effect.

Hakyeon and Taekwoon’s jaws drop simultaneously as they process, then Taekwoon snorts, instinctively turning to Hakyeon and burying his face against his shoulder to hide his amusement. He freezes once he realizes what he’s doing, but doesn’t pull away, instead he takes a second to bask in the scent of his partner.

“That actually goes with our hashtag for the guests, “I’m one meow” Hakyeon says one arm patting Taekwoon and the other holding up their sign to show their hashtag to the judges and viewers. “Thanks for the opening,” he adds with a grin.

“My pleasure,” Jaehwan returns. “Okay, judges, please tell us your thoughts on these photobooth props,” he says turning to them.

“I love the headbands,” Heechul says popping one on his own head. I’m not so in love with the backdrop. It gives me more “Little Mermaid” or “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” vibes than cats, but it is cute, so I’m not mad at it.”

“I agree,” Soljin pipes up. “The ears and paws are adorable, the hashtag is perfect, but the fish are just not functional.”

Taekwoon deflates a bit since the fish are what he spent his time and energy on and they’re the least well received item. He chews his lip as the judges move through the rest of the teams and finally declare the beach team the winners of the challenge and give them a 10 minute time bonus for the following day’s Final Craft.

“I’m sorry,” Taekwoon says, pausing in his efforts to help clean up their station while the production team works to set up the upcycle segment. 

“For what?” Hakyeon asks, cat ears still perched on his head.

“The fish?” Taekwoon asks, unsure himself of what he’s even apologizing for. “That was the weak point of the challenge, and I was basically in charge of it, so—”

“That’s silly,” Hakyeon says dismissively. “They just didn’t get our vision, and that’s fine. Not everyone will. What matters is that you did well and you had fun.”

Taekwoon wants to argue, but the firm set of Hakyeon’s mouth has him keeping his own shut.

All the contestants watch as Hongbin and another crew member carefully wheel out a large structure covered with a red drop cloth, leaving it at the front of the set. Jaehwan walks over to it, giving it a once over before standing in front of it and turning to the contestants with a bright smile. “Gather ‘round, please!” he calls.

The contestants obey, going to stand in their designated spots and await further instructions once again.

“For this next challenge you will have 45 minutes to take an existing item and upcycle or repurpose it into something new. You’ll have the whole craft supply area available for your use as usual. There is no specific advantage at stake in this round, but remember that each team is being judged on the combined performance of all three rounds. Are we ready? Okay, get set, go craft!”

Taekwoon and Hakyeon watch as the cloth covering the structure behind Hakyeon is suddenly lifted and a tower of glass bottles and containers of various sizes are revealed.

“The milk bottles,” Hakyeon hisses, and Taekwoon’s eyes find them. “We need those.”

Both men take off, beelining to the bottles and taking four each in their hands, walking as quickly as they dare back to their station. Taekwoon lines them up as Hakyeon starts sketching out their plan once again. “We’re doing a classic milk and cookies take,” he says. “We have this cutting machine and I know there’s a label file on there we can use to print.”

Taekwoon’s eyes sweep over to the machine on the edge of their station, the same as every other station. He eyes it warily, but trusts Hakyeon to know what he’s talking about. “What do you want me to do?” he asks.

“Can you grab the adhesive paper and some markers from the closet for me?” Hakyeon asks as he turns to the machine and starts scrolling through the options looking for the correct file.

Taekwoon moves to the closet, and grabs a pack of adhesive paper and a couple of different types of markers, unsure of exactly what Hakyeon wants. “Will these work?” he asks, holding them out for Hakyeon’s inspection after he returns.

Taekwoon squirms under the scrutiny of the camera lens that is being pointed at him but smiles when Hakyeon gives him an affirmative and takes the paper from him to feed into the machine. He watches in fascination as the cuts for the labels are made and Hakyeon gets to work. 

Hakyeon sketches out six simple cat faces, then slides the paper back over to Taekwoon, “color these in?” Hakyeon asks gesturing towards the markers.

Taekwoon blanches for a second, but grabs a pastel purple marker anyway, “Just, color them?”

“Yeah, I’ll work on the next set of faces while you’re doing that and then we can get them onto the bottles.”

Taekwoon does as he’s told, carefully turning each face into a pastel colored masterpiece. In addition to the extra faces, Hakyeon also starts in on a sign to display behind their bottles labeling it the milk and cookies station. When they’re done, Taekwoon watches as Hakyeon peels one up and centers it just under the neck of the bottle, painstakingly wrapping it so that it is straight.

“How’s it look?” he asks holding it out for Taekwoon’s inspection.

“Purr-fect,” Taekwoon deadpans.

Hakyeon nearly drops the bottle laughing and together they peel and place the rest.

They finish with a few minutes to spare, so Hakyeon grabs a sheet of black construction paper and starts cutting out triangles and several thin strips, gluing them to the corners of his sign to turn those into small cat faces as well while Taekwoon arranges the bottles so that each label is facing out and the judges can see the variety of faces drawn.

As the judges evaluate, Taekwoon feels even more down on himself than before. All of the judges agree that while the bottles are cute, they’re aren’t really transformed so they’re ranked fourth.

“Don’t worry about it,” Hakyeon reassures him as they head back to the green room to gather their belongings. “We have an amazing concept for tomorrow, so even if we don’t win, we will absolutely still be here next week.”

Taekwoon gives him a small smile in return, not quite as confident as the other.

“Are you still up for dinner and strategizing?” Hakyeon asks slinging his bag over his shoulder.

“Sure,” Taekwoon says grabbing his own belongings. He still feels a little nervous around Hakyeon whether on or off camera, so he’s hoping that spending some more time together will help to alleviate some of that. “I don’t know this area very well though, so I’ll follow your lead.”

Hakyeon nods thoughtfully, “I’ll make sure to take care of you.”

Hakyeon guides him to a small barbecue place and they settle in around the grill. Taekwoon instinctively sets out utensils and pours them each a cup of water while Hakyeon takes charge of ordering short ribs and samgyupsal and a couple of beers. It’s a little before the dinner rush, so the restaurant isn’t very crowded, which suits Taekwoon. He realizes belatedly that he’s been spacing out staring at Hakyeon’s hands as they drum on the table and quickly ducks his head to hide the flush he feels creeping up his neck.

“So, tomorrow is going to be kind of a marathon day, so should we try and start planning?” Hakyeon asks kindly not mentioning Taekwoon’s strange behavior.

“Please,” Taekwoon agrees. “I know we’re going with the first birthday cat party theme, but is there anything else I need to know?”

“I think we’ve discussed most of the essentials—colors and theme anyway, but we need to settle on the other details,” Hakyeon says, then thanks the server who brings over their meat. He speaks as he begins cutting, “We need to finalize food and games probably, and I already ordered items for the choosing ceremony.

Taekwoon tries to listen, but he can’t focus on Hakyeon’s words because of the abysmal job the other is doing cutting the meat.

“Do you—can I take over?” Taekwoon asks, gesturing towards the scissors Hakyeon holds.

Hakyeon lets out a little laugh, “I’m not very good at this, am I?” he asks with a wry grin. He pushes the tray towards Taekwoon and busies himself with digging out a notebook and pen from his bag instead. “I’ll take down notes so we don’t forget anything. Now, what kind of snacks were at the last party you went to?”

Taekwoon snorts, “Beer and chips,” he replies, flipping the first few pieces of meat.

Hakyeon rolls his eyes but gives him a fond smile that has Taekwoon shifting uncomfortably and re-arranging the meat again.

“I thought you were the expert—stop moving it or it won’t grill evenly,” Hakyeon teases. “Now really, you have a nephew, what did you do at his last party?”

“Karaoke,” Taekwoon laughs. “He loves singing and dancing. We had crackers, cheese, juice, the usual kid fare to snack on,” he explains. “We can do those things easily, have some of those fish shaped crackers and cut the cheese in cute shapes.”

“Heh, cut the cheese,” Hakyeon giggles and this time it is Taekwoon who rolls his eyes. 

“You said you have nieces and nephews, why am I the only one suggesting things?” Taekwoon grumps.

“Because sometimes I think too much like a designer.”

The strategy session passes easily, much to Taekwoon’s surprise. He expects to feel uncomfortable, since that is his default setting when hanging out with new acquaintances, but conversation and laughs flow easily.

“What time is call tomorrow?” Taekwoon asks glancing at his phone.

“Eight,” Hakyeon replies with a wince.

“I should probably get going then since it’s a 25 minute bus ride home,” he says wrinkling his nose.

Hakyeon flags down their server, passing over his card without a second thought.

“How much was it?” Taekwoon asks fishing for his wallet inside his own bag.

“It’s on me,” Hakyeon says with a wave of his hand. “As your elder, I should pay.”

“How do you know how old I am?” Taekwoon’s eyes narrow in suspicion.

Hakyeon’s eyes widen, “I, um, may have snuck a look at your info sheet when Hongbin and Wonshik had it out one day?”

Taekwoon wants to feel mad, but instead he’s amused, “So you’re using your connections to read up on me? Isn’t that kind of strange?”

“I was curious,” Hakyeon counters, throwing a quick smile to the server when his card is returned. He joins Taekwoon where he stands, “I’d say it was being resourceful.”

“Fair is fair then, when is your birthday?”

“June 30.”

“What year?”

“Nineteenninety,” Hakyeon mumbles.

“What was that?” Taekwoon asks holding the door open for the other who is trailing behind him.

“Nineteen ninety,” Hakyeon enunciates this time.

Taekwoon whirls on him, an incredulous look on his face, “You’re four months older than me and trying to hold that over my head?”

“Taekwoon-ah,” Hakyeon says sagely, “It was a long four months.”

Before Taekwoon even registers it, he’s reaching out and smacking Hakyeon on the back of his head. Thankfully, Hakyeon lets out a bark of laughter in return.

The whole bus ride home he can’t stop thinking about Hakyeon’s smile.

“Ready for day two?” Hongbin asks the next day while settling into the chair at Taekwoon’s side as they await the stylists to finish with Hakyeon.

“Maybe,” Taekwoon hedges, the panic he’s been fighting since waking up rising again.

“He’s ready,” Hakyeon calls out, meeting Taekwoon’s eyes in the mirror. “Don’t let him tell you otherwise, he’s a crafting machine.”

“That may be against the rules,” Hongbin replies with a wink. “Okay, I gotta go check that Wonshik hasn’t tried to re-mix the theme music again. Good luck!” he says before disappearing out of the side door.

“The theme music could probably stand to be re-mixed,” Hakyeon mutters, causing both the stylist and Taekwoon to laugh.

“If I make your eyeliner uneven, that’s going to be your fault,” she admonishes him.

“My mom will still think I’m pretty,” Hakyeon returns, eyes batting playfully.

_Me too_ Taekwoon thinks. He stays silent as they finish up and head out to await filming to start once again.

“Crafters, welcome to your first Final Craft challenge,” Jaehwan’s voice breaks the silence of the set a while later.

Taekwoon swallows thickly, the lights feel brighter this morning and that thin thread of dread is creeping up his spine again.

“Today you will have four hours to create the perfect party in your team’s designated space!” Jaehwan says excitedly sweeping his arm towards the walls to each of his sides, which, to Taekwoon and the other crafter’s astonishment, slide open to reveal eight identical empty rooms. 

“We’ll be expecting drinks, snacks, cakes, games, and of course, decorations!”

The words wash over Taekwoon his head still spinning as he takes in the scale of the production and his attention is stolen once more by the many cameras and people still surrounding him. Normally weekends are a time to recharge, de-stress, but this whole setup is the exact opposite. He stares down, takes a deep breath hoping it calms him, but doesn’t quite get there.

“Everyone ready? Great! Three, two, one, GET CRAFTING!!”

The rush of movement and Jaehwan’s shrill voice breaks into Taekwoon’s thoughts and he moves on autopilot towards his and Hakyeon’s waiting station.

_you okay?_ Hakyeon scribbles on a corner of butcher paper, ripping it off and sliding it toward him and eyeing him intensely.

Taekwoon freezes, staring down at it then blinks back at Hakyeon’s concerned face. He gives a nod, then reaches out and crumples up the paper, pocketing it so no one finds it. He does a little shrug, shaking out his anxieties and refocusing himself on the task at hand. He needs to be as strong as he can today so they don’t end up going home. He steels himself, then turns to Hakyeon, eyes fierce, “I’m going to start on the cake.”

Hakyeon’s surprise in his abrupt change in attitude is evident, but Taekwoon moves purposefully, grabbing his various dry ingredients before moving to the refrigerator for eggs and milk. He goes to the stand mixer next, measuring out his ingredients methodically and triple checking his recipe before carefully dividing it among three greased round pans so they can have tiers. He’s made this cake with his mom dozens of times, but this is the first time he’s made so much and on his own. After he carefully divides the batter, he balances a pan in one hand and opens the door carefully, letting out a muffled curse under his breath.

“What’s wrong?” Hakyeon materializes next to him.

“I forgot to preheat the oven,” Taekwoon confesses reaching to do just that.

“Mistakes happen,” Hakyeon soothes giving his shoulder a quick squeeze. 

“We can’t afford mistakes,” Taekwoon returns eyeing the oven as if his stare alone could heat it up faster. “The cakes need to cool fully before we can decorate and I still have to get the cookies going so they can be frosted and—”

“Hey!” Hakyeon’s voice breaks in, “We’ll make the time up. It’s okay, I promise. I’m going to start on the room now, yell if you need anything.”

Taekwoon deflates and gives Hakyeon a resigned nod. Thankfully, the oven beeps telling him it is ready, so he busies himself with placing all three tiers of the cake inside and setting the timer. He’s avoiding Hakyeon’s gaze as he turns to quickly clean the mixing bowl so he can start on the cookie dough.

After the dough is mixed and the cakes are finishing, Taekwoon takes a second to head over to their room where Hakyeon is and finds himself astonished at what the other has been up to. In addition to the photobooth props, he has a large smiling cat fashioned out of wood and several fabric triangles spread out on the table in front of him. Hakyeon is stamping some with paw prints, some with fish, and the others are reserved for what looks like a message. “What’s it going to say?” Taekwoon asks, gesturing to the flags as he settles in next to Hakyeon.

“Our hashtag,” Hakyeon replies proudly, grabbing the stack and flipping through to show Taekwoon the words.

“This is cute,” Taekwoon says motioning toward the wooden piece. “You’ve been really busy.”

As if on cue, Jaehwan’s voice cuts in with a shrill “One hour down!” causing Taekwoon to throw Hakyeon yet another panicked look. He feels like that’s his general state of existence during challenges.

“Hey,” Hakyeon says softly, bringing Taekwoon’s focus back to him once again, “We’re good. We have time. Go check on your cakes.”

Taekwoon takes a shuddering breath and nods, quickly returning to the kitchen area and checking the timer. He has just enough time to roll and cut his cookies before the cakes need to come out. Once the timer does go off, he has a dozen blank cat heads waiting to be baked and fish and paw prints back in the refrigerator. Finally feeling like he has his footing, he grabs a pair of oven mitts and lets out a low curse when he sees the large ugly crack running through the top of each cake. “It’s okay,” he mutters, “I’ll just cut it and even it out.”

As the cakes cool, he starts on his various royal icings for the cookies, making sure to add just enough color to achieve the pastel look they’re going for. He has both his flooding and piping versions just right when Hakyeon pops up next to him. “I’m about to start hanging stuff, can you help me when you have a few minutes?”

Taekwoon startles at his sudden appearance, and unsuccessfully tries to hide it if Hakyeon’s snort is anything to go off. “Yeah, just let me get this batch in the cooler with the cakes and the other batch in the oven,” he says..

“Your icing looks great,” Hakyeon says dragging a spoon through the one tinted lavender as Taekwoon readies the pastry bags. “The dehydrator is easy, you basically just set them in there and let it go for a while and it’s good to go.”

Taekwoon nods, one eye on the timer as it winds down to zero. He pulls the cookies out and breathes a sigh of relief when they look like they should. He steps back, and Hakyeon seems to anticipate the movement, stepping aside to let him pass and grabbing the second tray of cookies to place inside while Taekwoon brings his to the cooler. “Thank you,” he says when he returns.

Hakyeon shrugs, “That’s what I’m here for.” He then gestures towards their room, still mostly blank, “Now, let’s get decorating?”

Taekwoon dutifully follows, making sure that he brings the timer with him so he can sprint back to rescue the cookies if he gets carried away with Hakyeon. 

They work together, Hakyeon measuring the wall and having Taekwoon hold the giant cat silhouette level while he secures it in the middle. He then runs to grab the banner, which he had finished while Taekwoon was working on cookies. Hakyeon has one side successfully pinned to the wall when Taekwoon’s timer goes off and he must save his second batch from burning. 

“Hurry,” Hakyeon pouts as Taekwoon abandons him.

Taekwoon sends him an exasperated look as he rushes off. He makes quick work of moving the second batch of cookies to the cooler and putting the last in the oven. He snags a bottle of water, then grabs another for Hakyeon as he returns to the room. Hakyeon is exactly where he left him, holding the second half of the banner in place and watching Taekwoon intently.

“Here,” Taekwoon says, holding the bottle out for Hakyeon to take.

Hakyeon’s face splits into a grin as he snags the bottle, fingers brushing against Taekwoon’s.

Taekwoon quickly pulls back and clears his throat awkwardly, then shuffles back and forth slightly to cover up the awkward action. Finally he takes the trailing end of the banner, going back to the wall so Hakyeon can direct him where to put it.

Hakyeon shakes his head slightly at Taekwoon’s odd behavior, then he’s back to business directing Taekwoon,“Move it up a little? Perfect,” he declares.

Taekwoon pins his side, then steps back so he and Hakyeon are side by side. “I think any kid would like this.”

“Just wait until the rest is set. You can go back to work on your stuff now. I’ll finish up over here then come help you frost.”

When Taekwoon returns to the kitchen, he finds the cakes are fully cooled and breathes a sigh of relief when they turn out of the pans easily. His last cookie timer goes off and he removes those and sets them in the cooler with the rest before turning off the oven.

He’s methodical as he levels the cakes, but he groans as they start to crumble more than expected. He tastes a bit of the shavings and sags when he realizes how dry they are. “Buttercream,” he mumbles to himself as he gets each cake level. He ignores the huff of laugher his mumbling seems to draw from his cameraman as he quickly whips up a batch of buttercream and decides to flavor it strawberry.

“Two hours!” Jaehwan’s voice calls and Taekwoon whimpers.

Taekwoon has a crumb coat on each of his layers and is rolling out fondant when Hakyeon buzzes by on his way to grab more water and gives him a quick side hug in the process. Taekwoon stills under the touch, then feels himself flush bright red and ducks away from the camera in a show of digging in the cabinets for a tool he doesn’t really need. He doesn’t emerge again until he feels more settled, but he can still feel the phantom touch of Hakyeon’s arm around him.

After all three cakes are successfully layered in a semi-smooth fondant coat, he retrieves the cat cookies from the cooler and sets about frosting them. He takes the black piping icing first and runs a thin line around all of them. They look good, and he takes the chance to flood them with his various colors so he can pop them in the dehydrator to put the faces on later. He starts in on the fish next.

“ONE HOUR”

Taekwoon freezes this time, and stares at the camera man in disbelief. He rushes to the dehydrator and flips it to fifty degrees. He can only fit six cookies in at a time, so he settles on waving a cookie sheet over the rest to hopefully speed along the setting process while the initial ones go for fifteen minutes.

“Why did I think cookies _and_ cake were a good idea?” Taekwoon whines as Hakyeon returns to the kitchen area. 

“Because you have lofty ambitions?” Hakyeon asks, grabbing another tray and joining in on the fanning.

“No, because I am an idiot,” Taekwoon gripes. “Are you done with the room?” he asks suspiciously. 

He turns to the room and his jaw drops when he sees what Hakyeon has accomplished by himself while he’s been preoccupied with the food. In addition to everything he had helped with, there is now a table covered by a runner with pawprints stamped all over set under the banner. On top of the table sits the milk cups they had upcycled the previous day, small bowls full of goldfish crackers, kit-kat candies, and gummy fish under a little sign labeled “kitten chow.” There’s space at the center for Taekwoon’s cake, which is still sitting only half decorated, and that realization sends a jolt through him. “I need to finish the cake! I got distracted by cookies and the cake isn’t decorated,” he says gesturing to the cake and sagging in defeat.

“Will I be of more help decorating cake or fanning cookies?” Hakyeon asks pragmatically.

“Probably the cake.”

Taekwoon resumes fanning as Hakyeon moves over to the opposite counter and looks at the cake critically.

“What’s your vision?” Hakyeon asks as he pulls modeling chocolate and more fondant toward himself. 

“I was thinking just ears on top and a face on the front. Kind of minimalistic, but cute?” Taekwoon replies, voice breathy from fanning for so long.

“Perfect,” Hakyeon replies and gets to work rolling out the chocolate.

Taekwoon decides to rotate his cookies, so the next batch can get started dehydrating while he works on adding faces to his cats. He realizes almost immediately that it’s a lost cause. “Hakyeon,” he whines, drawing the other’s attention. “These faces are going to bleed like the last time. Do I leave them solid or just Van Gogh it?”

Hakyeon snorts, “I vote Van Gogh. At least the judges will see you had a plan then.”

Taekwoon resigns himself to wonky cat cookies and sets about making various faces, not even bothering with dehydrating the rest of the cookies since he realizes it is a lost cause. Decorating the cookies with the different icings and hoping that she shapes and taste are enough becomes his goal. The fish and paws follow suit, and soon they have twenty four decently iced cookies waiting for the judges to taste.

They spend the last twenty minutes together in the room putting the finishing touches on the space and placing the cake and cookies at the center of the table in the void Hakyeon has left.

With two minutes to go, Hakyeon dashes off back to their station, and Taekwoon’s brow furrows as he watches him pull a box out from under the table, bringing it back and opening it with a flourish, “What’s a first birthday party without some Doljabi?”

Taekwoon’s face splits into a grin as Hakyeon begins pulling the items out one by one, each one representative of one of the traditional jobs, but also still somehow on theme. “Where in the world did you find a stethoscope with a cat on it?” he asks amazed. 

“Online,” Hakyeon shrugs as they arrange the items in one of the corners so that they’re visible, but don’t look like they were just tossed haphazardly on the floor.

“Crafters, your time is up in 30 seconds!” Jaehwans voice booms above the din of six teams working frantically to finish their spaces. 

Taekwoon turns to ask Hakyeon if there is anything left to do, but he’s greeted with the sight of Hakyeon, cat party hat jauntily perched on his head, holding out the cat ears from the previous day to him expectantly. Wordlessly he takes them and puts them on once more. 

“Such a good kitty,” Hakyeon says lowly, pitching his voice so none of the mics will pick it up.

Taekwoon’s eyes widen and he gapes at Hakyeon, a million thoughts running through his mind, none of them appropriate for television, but Jaehwan calls time and they throw their hands up, stepping back and away from the projects. Taekwoon can’t get a word in before judging starts.

All of the contestants return to their stations, walking back over to the rooms only when their area is being judged. Taekwoon takes the opportunity to snack on a few of the leftover cookies, offering one to Hakyeon as well. As he chews, his heart sinks at the texture because he knows they’re underdone, and with the addition of the icing they’ll be even worse. He looks at Hakyeon, waiting for the look of disappointment he knows is coming as the other bites off one of the fish’s heads. The look never comes though. Instead, Hakyeon is turning and beaming at him.

“These are so good,” Hakyeon says chewing happily.

“They’re underdone though,” Taekwoon protests.

“But the flavor is amazing. You did so well on these, I am so proud of you.”

Those words have Taekwoon ducking his head, arms coming up to rest on the tabletop to keep his face hidden.

“Are you going to hide if they compliment you too?” Hakyeon teases attempting to pull Taekwoon’s hands away from his face..

Taekwoon ignores him, pressing down harder in favor of cooling his face against the wood underneath it.

When the judges call them over, Hakyeon takes a second to adjust the ears on Taekwoon’s head since they have gone a little sideways from his hiding.

“Hakyeon, Taekwoon, your room looks like you two worked really hard on it! Will you walk us through your inspiration and execution?” Jaehwan asks as he leads them to the center of the room.

“It was all Taekwoon,” Hakyeon begins causing Taekwoon to send him a surprised look. “He was gushing about his nephew, so we came up with the idea of a first birthday since it is such an important rite of passage for a child. Then he sent me a picture of his cat, and that’s where the theme came from. So, all Taekwoon.”

“I can see you have a game of pin the tail on the cat, but what is the card game?” Kimbum asks gesturing to the entertainment corner of the space.

“Go fish,” Hakyeon replies drawing a laugh from all of the judges.

“I love the decorations, everything is on theme, but not too cartooney. It has a classier feeling than just slapping a tablecloth and some party hats down and calling it a day. The photo booth in the corner is a brilliant use of the quick craft from yesterday, too. Who was responsible for what?” Soljin asks.

“I decorated the room,” Hakyeon explains. “When we were deciding our theme and strategy, we decided that I would focus mostly on the decorations and Taekwoon would be in charge of the food.”

“They’re great decorations, but we’d like for you two to try and work together a little more next week if you come back instead of the ‘divide and conquer’ strategy you mostly employed today. Teamwork is valuable after all,” Kibum says.

“It is, but good teamwork also involves knowing where each member’s strength lies,” Hakyeon counters. “Taekwoon loves to cook and I love to craft, so having him bake, while I took care of the ‘make’ made sense to us,” Hakyeon continues, his smile never faltering.

“Should we try the party food?” Jaehwan asks loudly gesturing to the table with a waggle of his eyebrows before any more could be said.

“You just want to eat some more,” Heechul laughs along, and steps towards the table obligingly.

“Always,” Jaehwan confirms with a wink. “Ooh, this cake is almost as cute as I am!”

Taekwoon snorts at the comment and watches as Heechul reaches for the cake knife. He sends up a silent prayer that it tastes okay as he cuts into the cake revealing the layers and frosting inside. He feels the sweat starting to bead along his brow and wipes it off with the back of his forearm. As the cake is served, he turns his head, afraid to watch the reactions as everyone eats.

“The flavor is great, but the texture is a little crumbly. It’s pretty dry.” Kibum comments reaching for one of the cups of punch set out on the table for emphasis.

“I agree, I think it’s been in the oven a little too long, but the buttercream helps to moisten it.” Soljin adds.

Taekwoon nods, feeling his heart sink a little at the words. He bites at his lip nervously and braces himself for the cookie tasting that is still to come. 

“Again, the flavor is great, but these needed a little longer in the oven I think,” Kibum is saying with a wry smile. “The icing is also nowhere near set and the decorating leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe if one of you had focused on the cookies while the other made the cake you could have properly timed your food components.”

Taekwoon’s eyes widen and he finds himself physically pulling back, closer to Hakyeon at the words. 

“I don’t think that’s a fair statement,” Hakyeon says, smile gone from his face now. “There are several different factors that could contribute to the texture of baked goods, and while timing is one of them, it is not the only component.”

“Okay, can I ask for the final thoughts of the judges on the overall theme and execution of Hakyeon and Taekwoon’s party?” Jaehwan asks, once again cutting off the conversation before it can escalate.

“Overall the theme was cute, appropriate and nicely styled. The food elements were tasty and generally well decorated.”

“I agree all around, and I especially like that everything was on theme right down to the snack crackers and doljabi offered.”

“I am less impressed than my fellow judges, but will commend the decorations and overall visual aesthetic of the party.” 

“Thank you for your comments, judges. Let’s go see our last pair, now, “Jaehwan says, smile slightly strained as he ushers them away.

Once they’re gone, Taekwoon slumps down into a full crouch, his arms coming up to cover his face. There is still one camera trained on them, so he does his best to hide his emotions, trying not to cause a scene and appear like the pouting child he feels like. He stiffens a little when a hand comes to rest on his shoulder, but relaxes quickly as Hakyeon’s soothing voice washes over him.

“One down, now only five more to go.”

“What if we get sent home over bad cake and cookies?” Taekwoon’s voice is small even to his own ears.

“Neither your cake or cookies were bad,” Hakyeon says tugging on a strand of Taekwoon’s hair in admonishment. “Even if there were critiques, it’s all part of the process. Next week you’ll just make something even tastier and knock their socks off.”

Taekwoon peeks up at him through the bangs that are now covering his face, “What if we don’t get a next week?” 

“Then the judges are idiots,” Hakyeon replies sagely.

“You probably shouldn’t insult them on camera,” Taekwoon laughs, but comes out of his crouch. He feels better already and is thankful Hakyeon seems to know exactly what to say each time. He starts at Hakyeon’s light touch on his wrist, but follows obediently as the other leads him back to their station to wait for the final judging results. As they settle back into their space, Hakyeon once again takes a marker and starts to draw on the table between them. Taekwoon’s eyes follow the movements of the lines and he realizes that Hakyeon is writing another note. 

_That judge was a dick, I think he’s just trying to play up the role of being the “mean one” so I wouldn’t take things too personally_

Taekwoon gives him a quick nod, and when he sees the camera guy give them a curious look, he grabs the marker and quickly doodles over the words, turning it into a garden with flowers and a fat little bee flying around. Hakyeon steals the marker back and adds a sun and clouds.

Before either can add anything else to the drawing, Jaehwan is calling the contestants over for the final judging. They don’t make it into the top two pairs, but they aren’t in the bottom and up for elimination either. Taekwoon breathes a sigh of relief and goes as still as a statue when Hakyeon throws one arm around him in a quick victory hug. It’s over nearly as soon as it starts though, so Taekwoon doesn’t have time to fully process it before Hakyeon is stepping away again. He gives him a small smile in return, cheeks feeling hot as they congratulate the other surviving pairs.

“Well, this wraps up week one of Craft It!, and I hope our contestants had as much fun as I did,” Jaehwan beams at them. “I’m happy to announce that next week will feature the great outdoors. Pack your gear everyone, we are going camping!”

Taekwoon and Hakyeon share a look of surprise.

As the cameras pan away, Taekwoon feels exhaustion settling into his bones, the tension of the week fully catching up to him once he knows that all eyes are not on him anymore. He and Hakyeon make their way back to the greenroom, again congratulating the other contestants who will be back for filming next week like them.

“I had fun this weekend,” Hakyeon says, bag slung over his shoulder.

“Me too,” Taekwoon admits, surprising himself.

“I’ll text you tomorrow so we can start planning out next week?”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

As he sinks into his bed later that night, Taekwoon can’t help but think of Hakyeon and how in his element he had seemed throughout the weekend. He wishes he could be like that, be comfortable in front of the camera. He turns over and buries his face into his pillow hoping that future episodes are less mistake-filled than this one was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am planning on putting a "works cited" of sorts at the end from where I gathered all of the recipes made throughout this story because I am in no way shape or form remotely talented in the kitchen and had to look everything up. 
> 
> If you ever feel the need to scream at me I am thoroughlynerdy on twitter as well.


	3. Episode Two: Camping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! More face to face Taekwoon/Hakyeon interactions! Once again I am not an expert in any of these fields, but I did my best to research! Please excuse any inaccuracies (or gently correct me!). I hope you have as much fun reading this as I did writing (let me know?). I'm still thoroughlynerdy on twitter if you prefer to scream at me there or in dms. Enjoy!

When Monday morning rolls around once again, Taekwoon feels bone tired. While the weekend was fun, it was a whole lot more exhausting than he had anticipated. He also feels guilty that Mochi was left alone more than he expected, and he missed her. He trudges into the office and nearly collapses into his chair while he waits for his computer to boot up. He’s sipping at his travel mug when Sanghyuk plops down in his spare chair once again and grins at him excitedly.

“Did you win?” 

“I signed something that says I won’t reveal the results of the show,” Taekwoon replies diplomatically, turning to his screen to log in to the system.

“I won’t say anything, pinky promise,” the younger needles. 

Taekwoon remains unmoved. “Your pinky isn’t worth the fine they would impose on me. I only have seven more weeks to get this proposal finished, can I please try and get my life together now?” Taekwoon whines. 

“Of course, Hyung. Don’t let me stop you,” Sanghyuk replies innocently. “By the way, Taejoon hyung is wandering around again so I’d keep my notes covered,” he adds with a wrinkle of his nose.

Taekwoon blows out a deep breath and drops his forehead against his desk letting out a little whimper, “Thanks for the heads up,” he groans. He receives a sympathetic pat on the back from the other as he leaves Taekwoon alone to suffer and plan.

Half an hour later, Taekwoon is fully absorbed in digging through the previous year’s budget, going through and itemizing various expenses and working on categorizing them when his phone buzzes next to him. He fights off a smile when he sees Hakyeon’s name.

have you ever had a s’more?

Taekwoon furrows his brow, staring down at his phone in confusion.

_No? What is that?_

Pure sin and deliciousness

_So it’s food. What kind? Sweet? Savory?_

Taekwoon’s interest is properly piqued now.

Hakyeon sends a picture of some melted chocolate and white goo concoction that looks like pure sugar, and Taekwoon’s mouth starts to water. 

_I need this._

Americans call this camping food. I think we should do a play on it. You game?

_I’ll start researching ingredients and recipes_

“recipe” may be a little strong for s’mores. They’re like 3 ingredients. let me know if you need a taste tester though. I am an expert 

Taekwoon snorts and rises to go and exploit this distraction to grab a coffee refill.

_Of course you are. There’s literally nothing you can’t do._

Luckily a kind soul has brewed a pot of coffee recently, so the only effort Taekwoon has to put in is pouring a cup and adding creamer and sugar.

keep thinking this way. i like it

Taekwoon hides his grin in his coffee as he reads Hakyeon’s response. 

_Thanks for the distraction, by the way. One of my seniors who likes to push off work on me but still take the credit has been spotted hanging around today and I am wary_

need me to beat him up?

Taekwoon snorts into his cup. 

_I don’t want to be fired, I just want to only do my job, not his too._

fair, but the offer still stands. 

Taekwoon grins at his phone as he walks back to his desk and settles in to continue his itemizing mission.

When Taekwoon returns home that evening, he scritches Mochi behind the ears as he squats down to pour her a bowl of food, “I’m sorry I was gone all weekend,” he tells her softly.

Mochi is more interested in her food than his attention though, and as soon as he stands up she immediately sets to eating, purring lightly as she chews causing Taekwoon to smile fondly.

While she eats, Taekwoon makes his own dinner. He minces garlic and onions and sets them in a pan to sweat while he opens a can of diced tomatoes and squeezes in a little tomato paste and herbs to round out the flavor. As the sauce simmers, he sets a pot of water on the stove to boil. Mochi is twining herself around his feet as he stirs his sauce, and Taekwoon feels a little like she has forgiven him for disappearing for most of the weekend. He hums to himself, a new melody beginning to take shape as he cooks.

After his food is ready, he sits down at his table to peruse the internet for s’mores recipes and to maybe see if Hakyeon posted another video. He navigates to Youtube and when he sees the title “Paper Crafting with Hakyeonnie” his eyes widen. The thumbnail shows Hakyeon in the same clothes he wore during filming Saturday and Taekwoon splutters, grabbing for his phone.

_Do you only own one outfit or did you really film another video this weekend?_

I should be offended, but instead I am laughing. Yes, I did indeed film another video after you ditched me for your cat Saturday night.

_I’ve known her longer than you_

Instead of another text in reply, Taekwoon jumps when his phone suddenly buzzes and Hakyeon’s name flashes across the screen. He takes a couple of deep breaths, counts to five, then presses the “accept call” button. “Hello?” he says into the receiver tentatively.

“This seemed easier,” Hakyeon replies by way of greeting. “Yeah, your cat is adorable, but so am I. To prove it, this Saturday, let’s do dinner again?”

“Oh- I uh, okay, I guess,” Taekwoon stammers, feeling flustered. He takes a sip of water to clear his throat. He can hear Hakyeon chuckling on the other end of the line and he drops his head down beside his plate, cheek now smooshed against the table so his words come out slightly muffled. “Anyway, I’ve been doing some research. I don’t think South Korea has graham crackers. We need an alternative for our base,” he says quickly changing the subject.

“Oh,” Hakyeon hums. “I guess I never looked for them here. We can use a cookie maybe? Digets might be the right texture?” he suggests.

“I’ll swing by the store at lunch and experiment tomorrow after I get home. I’m thinking of a dip instead of sandwiches. Some sort of gooey, chocolately mess you dip into and that way you can get as much or as little as you want.” Taekwoon replies. He rights himself and pops another bite of pasta into his mouth, then realizes he is probably chewing directly into Hakyeon’s ear, so he swallows quickly.

“Are you eating? Did I interrupt your dinner?” Hakyeon asks quickly.

Taekwoon sets his fork down and hangs his head, bringing a hand up to cover his face. “Yeah, no, I mean—I am eating, but I don’t mind talking while I eat if you don’t mind listening to me.” He hates how much she stammers around Hakyeon, how flustered he is even over the phone.

“Maybe I’ll join you,” Hakyeon replies. “I have some leftovers from last night and I’ll just heat them up and we can pretend like we’re eating together. Like a date.”

Taekwoon makes a noise and just barely stops the groan that crawls up his throat at those words. He grabs his water and takes another gulp instead of responding.

“You’re fun to tease,” Hakyeon laughs into the receiver. 

Taekwoon can hear the smile in his voice and he curls into himself even further. “You’re no fun at all,” he mutters in response. 

Hakyeon’s responding laughter rings in his ears as he falls asleep later that night.

Tuesday Taekwoon walks into work and discovers a new pile of work on his desk in addition to his own. He snaps a picture of the mess and shoots a text off to Hakyeon without a second thought.

_I called it_

what is that? your colleague’s work??

_Yep. It’s going to be a looong week._

Taekwoonie fighting!

”Oh, Taekwoon, you’re here.”

He turns at the sound of the voice and finds Taejoon smiling down at him. “Hello, Hyung,” he replies politely.

“I left a few documents on your desk so you can help me comb through them for evidence of spending in regard to accommodations and other travel expenses during business trips,” Taejoon gestures to the teetering stack of papers smiling easily.

Taekwoon shifts in his chair uncomfortably, “Manager Ahn told me to focus on the expenses related to office materials specifically.” 

“And? I am also asking you to review the expenses related to travel. Just do it in addition, I know you’re capable, you always get the tasks assigned to you done on time,” the older says with a dismissive wave of his hand. 

Taekwoon opens his mouth to reply, to tell the other that he has enough to do without adding more to his pile, but his senior is already walking away. Taekwoon lets out a frustrated groan and massages his temples, already feeling a headache coming on. 

“I can help you with those,” Sanghyuk says dropping into Taekwoon’s spare chair as usual.

Taekwoon turns to him, face softening, “Thanks, Hyogi. I appreciate the offer, but you need to focus on your work. I’ll get it done,” he assures the younger. “You may be a little shit sometimes, but you’re a pretty good kid when you want to be.”

“Hyung, I am _not_ a kid. I am twenty four years old. And I could kick your ass if I wanted,” Sanghyuk whines. 

“Aigoo, so cute,” Taekwoon says reaching out to pinch the other’s cheek and effectively chases Sanghyuk out of his cube, his whine of _Hyung!_ music to Taekwoon’s ears.

Taekwoon goes out for lunch later just to spite Taejoon and the staggering pile of work he now has to complete, but he doesn’t go far, opting for convenience rather than chancing being late on his return. He decides to make his mission two fold and try an find s’more ingredients while he’s out, so he heads to the corner store and snags a sleeve of Digets and a few bars of chocolate soon after he walks in. Then he gets to the marshmallow part of the “recipe” and stops, staring at the shelves and contemplating his options. He grabs his phone and dials Hakyeon instead of texting him.

“Hello?” Hakyeon asks, sounding slightly out of breath.

“Did I catch you at a bad time? You can always ignore my calls if you need,” Taekwoon replies, teeth worrying his bottom lip.

“It’s fine, I was just moving a dresser and it was heavier than I remembered. And I am not going to start ducking your calls. Relax,” he says, voice firm. “Now, what’s up?” 

“I’m not sure I can find marshmallows, so I was wondering if you knew how hard it is to make them? Or where I can buy any?” Taekwoon asks while wandering the chip aisle and eyeing a bag of Honey Twist Snacks as he chats.

“I think they’re relatively simple to make, but we may be cutting it close on timing.”

“How close?” Taekwoon wonders, tossing the snacks in his basket and heading towards the ramyun selection. He quickly chooses two and tosses them in the basket along with the others. “Hang on,” he mutters once he reaches the counter and sees there is no line. He pockets his phone and smiles as the clerk quickly rings up his items. Once he has paid, he thanks her, then fishes his phone back out of his pocket and returns to the conversation, “Sorry, I was checking out. How long did you say?”

“Around four hours? But since you want to make a dip anyway I don’t think they’ll need to be completely set up, so we can probably get away with them being underset.”

Taekwoon makes a face remembering how the time issue with cookies was part of their downfall the previous week. “You really think underset will be okay? I don’t want time to be the deciding factor again.“

“Honestly, the gooier the better.”

“Okay,” Taekwoon sighs resignedly, “I’ll need an actual grocery to get the stuff for them probably. I’ll get a marshmallow recipe tonight and try again tomorrow. If all else fails, my family can be the test subjects again.”

“I can also test, or even help you experiment. I’m a little ahead of schedule with my current client, so I can escape early, hit the store and bring the stuff to your place so we can work together?” Hakyeon suggests brightly.

Taekwoon thinks of the pile of laundry he has in a basket in the living room and the dishes from last night’s dinner still stacked in his sink. He blanches at the thought of the designer in his space so soon. “I’d rather come to you?”

“Well, that’s an option too I guess?” Hakyeon replies, confusion lining his voice.

“My apartment is small, and it’s not decorated very well, so I'd just…” Taekwoon trails off, his steps matching his voice as he nears the firm once again.

“I didn’t mean to invite myself over!” Hakyeon says quickly. “I just thought it would be fun, but you don’t even have to do this with me if you don’t want to.”

“It’s fine, I’m just—awkward,” Taekwoon finishes miserably.

“You’re not awkward,” Hakyeon says sharply. “You’re introverted and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Thank you,” Taekwoon says softly in reply. “What night would be best for marshmallow making?”

“Any night really, tonight, tomorrow or Thursday—wait, doesn’t the first episode air tomorrow night?” Hakyeon interrupts himself.

“I think that’s what Hongbin said,” Taekwoon confirms as he walks back to his office, purchases in hand.

“Let’s do a watch party then. We can practice for next week and cringe as we see how different we look on national television,” Hakyeon laughs.

“That sounds like torture,” Taekwoon deadpans.

“Whiner,” Hakyeon returns. “What do you say, tomorrow s’mores and television debut?”

“I guess,” Taekwoon sighs in defeat. “What time?”

“ 7:30?” Hakyeon asks.

“I may be a little late,” Taekwoon stalls outside of his office building, again dreading the pile of paperwork left for him. “I’m trying to get this stuff for my senior done quickly so I can get back to just working on my own files, so it’s a lot of late nights.

“Your senior sounds annoying,” Hakyeon replies.

Taekwoon snorts. “I’ll bring dinner too as a thanks for letting me come over and for indulging me by not being mad I wouldn’t let you come over to my house yet.”

“‘Yet’ implies that there’s a possibility of next time. I’ll hedge my bets and wait for you to invite me over. I’ll text you my address, just don’t forget the Digets and chocolate and let me take care of the marshmallow ingredients. Have a good rest of the day at work and let me know if you get any other great ideas for camping inspiration. Bye.”

Taekwoon stares down at the receiver, a thousand words for Hakyeon on the tip of his tongue, but none getting past his lips as usual.

\------

“Sugar, light corn syrup, vanilla extract,” Hakyeon repeats to himself as he checks his basket against the list in his hand.

After he had hung up with Taekwoon the previous day, he had immediately shot off a text to Wonshik thanking him again for offering him the opportunity to take part in the show. If that text was disguising his true intent of thanking him for the opportunity to meet Taekwoon, well, no one would have to know.

As he wanders the aisles picking up other necessities, he lets his mind wander back to the previous weekend and how flustered Taekwoon had looked as filming had started. Luckily for both of them, he had loosened up as the day progressed, but there was still the underlying current of doubt that ran through him. He knows he has to figure out how to ease the burden so that Taekwoon has fun as they film instead of staying in his head all of the time. 

Once he is home and his groceries are put away, Hakyeon sorts through the takeout menus he has piled in the drawer next to his refrigerator. Chicken sounds particularly good to him, so he decides to call in an order for it while he waits instead of burdening Taekwoon with another task.

I’m ordering chicken tonight and having it delivered and you’re not going to argue about it. What kind sounds good to you?

_I can’t argue? What is that about?_

It’s about you respecting your elders. now answer the question

_You are FOUR months older than me. Stop trying to pull the elder card. I like garlic herb best, but anything is fine._

Was that so hard? just come here after you are done with work. I’ll get delivery.

_This was not what we agreed on_

7:30. Be here.

After he sends the message, Hakyeon glances around his apartment to make sure that it is in a neat enough state to entertain. Most of it looks fine at first glance, but he cringes at the corner of his living room not occupied by furniture or electronics where a project he had started on the previous night sits, sealant still drying. There is no moving it while it is still tacky, so he shrugs and lets it be, choosing instead to focus on the kitchen and make sure that the dishes needed for s’mores experiments are clean before going and checking out the bathroom.

About 7:15 he places the call for chicken, ordering a mix of flavors, but asks for a few extra pieces of the garlic herb to make sure that Taekwoon is satisfied. Just as he is about to turn on the television for background noise, his phone is ringing and Wonshik’s name and picture pop up on the screen.

“Hello, Wonshikkie!” he greets putting the phone on speaker so he doesn’t have to hold it to his face.

“Hello, Hyung,” Wonshik’s deep voice rumbles back. “Ready to become a national crafting sensation?”

Hakyeon scoffs at the words, falling back on his couch and laying his phone on his chest. “I think you’re over-estimate my likability.”

“And you’re selling yourself short again. Trust me, I know I’m not supposed to play favorites but I am completely biased and you and Taekwoon are what we like to call ‘magic’ when you’re on screen together. When we were watching everything back during edits, it was obvious that the two of you have chemistry. And I’m not even talking about how clear it is that you want to fuck him.”

“Wonshik!” Hakyeon gasps. “You are so crass sometimes. I’m not going to say that you’re particularly wrong with that statement, but your phrasing needs some nuance.”

“Whatever. Just tell me that you two have a plan for next week already? I just got off the phone with Jeohyun and she said that her and her partner hadn’t spoken _even through text_ since Sunday. And while that may make good television if it’s only one team, if all of my teams are losing interest in the competition this early we’re never going to survive and I can say goodbye to a potential season two.”

“Taekwoon and I have been calling and texting daily. He’s actually coming over in about…” Hakyeon pulls the phone back to glance at the time, “ten minutes to practice one of our recipes for Sunday and have a mini watch party.”

“He’s coming over? To your apartment? You gonna jump him, or wait a while?”

“Wonshik!”

“You know I’m kidding. I just like riling you up.”

“You should probably not encourage fraternization between contestants during filming as the director anyway. What if something goes wrong and we end up hating each other but are still contractually obligated to film?”

“More drama for me,” Wonshik laughs.

Hakyeon scoffs in response and turns over on his side, staring out at his living room and laying his phone down on the couch beside him. “Are you nervous or excited about this airing tonight? I’ve seen a few previews and my mom keeps sending me messages about how excited she is to see me on TV.”

“Filming last weekend went more smoothly than I thought it would, so this project isn’t nearly as stressful as it could be. Besides watching the mutual pining between you and Taekwoon, the rest of the episode was fun to watch for us, so I’m hoping the viewers who tune in will think so too.”

“You can’t see it but I’m flipping you off,” Hakyeon retorts shooting his middle finger at the phone beside him.

“Next time we’ll facetime so I’ll be sure to see.”

“Great. On that note, I’m going to hang up because Taekwoon should be here soon and it would be rude to be on the phone when he does. I’ll let you know both of our thoughts after we watch. 

Hakyeon rolls back over, opening one of his gaming apps to pass the time until chicken or Taekwoon rings the doorbell first.

\------

Taekwoon fairly leaps off the last step of the bus and threads himself through the crowd near the intersection, throwing out a quick “excuse me!” as he clips the shoulder of a guy about his age. He had lost track of time trying to itemize expenses and left the office a full fifteen minutes later than he had intended, so now he is panicking and trying to somehow make it on time to Hakyeon’s even though he knows it is impossible unless he learns to teleport. Nearly jogging, he pulls up his and Hakyeon’s message thread, and sends another status update of “I’m five minutes out!” 

He cringes when he gets a picture in reply. It’s a selca of Hakyeon, a full spread of chicken laid out on the table behind him, and a pout on his face. Taekwoon curses softly and redoubles his efforts, breaking out into a full jog now. 

As he rounds the corner to Hakyeon’s street, he passes a store and stops, considering his options for a solid thirty seconds before ducking inside and heading to the refrigerated section in the back. He chooses a six pack quickly and joins the line to pay for his purchase deciding that showing up with beer can only help to pacify the man who has been forced to wait on him.

Hakyeon’s building is in a slightly nicer part of town than Taekwoon’s own, but still leans towards the modest. The exterior is slightly yellowing, but the area is well lit and looks clean. He eyes the stairs with annoyance, knowing that three flights after his near sprint to get here will not be fun, but they are necessary. Once he ascends them, he makes his way slowly down the hall, giving himself a few more seconds so his breathing is fully under control and he doesn’t look like a sweaty mess. He quickly runs his fingers through his hair, one last attempt at looking less disheveled than he feels, and takes a deep breath before stopping in front of the door and pressing the buzzer.

“You found it!” Hakyeon’s voice greets him through the small speaker.

“I stopped for refreshments,” Taekwoon replies, holding the plastic bag up to the camera as evidence.

“Excellent, I am parched. Hang on,”

Taekwoon waits and a few seconds later the door is opening and Hakyeon’s smiling face greets him on the other side. “Come in,” he says, sweeping his arm out behind him and stepping back so Taekwoon can enter. 

Taekwoon follows the other into the entryway and hands over the plastic bag as he toes off his shoes, lining them up near Hakyeon’s and smiling when a pair of blue striped slippers are pushed towards him. “Thanks,” he smiles stepping into them. He drops his work bag by his shoes near the door and follows his host further into the apartment.

Hakyeon’s profession as an interior designer is evident the second they walk into the living room. Taekwoon takes in the soft white walls, the comfortable overstuffed couch, and the large entertainment system opposite it. A lush white throw rug sits under the coffee table and half the living room floor, and there are little artistic touches everywhere, some of the candles Hakyeon had featured clustered on both the low coffee table and one of the end tables, and a gallery wall full of various photos over the couch. “This place looks like you,” Taekwoon tells him with a smile.

“Is that a compliment?” Hakyeon laughs guiding him toward the dinette set up near the kitchen. “Sorry, I don’t mean to herd you towards the food like some sheep dog, but I am starving.”

“It is,” Taekwoon confirms, allowing himself to be guided into one of the chairs. “It’s artistic but not too…out there? Those are the candles you made on one of your videos, right?” he asks gesturing towards one of the side tables.

“You watched that?”

“I wanted to see who you were after we go paired up,” Taekwoon replies defensively, heat creeping up his neck at the question.

“Sure,” Hakyeon replies, drawing the word out into several syllables as he drops into one of the chairs opposite him and digs the beers out of the bag Taekwoon handed him earlier. “I bet when you eventually let me visit your apartment I’ll find little candles all over the place from you following my tutorials.”

“Mochi would knock them all over. My apartment would catch on fire.”

“A likely excuse. They make candle warmers you know. Anyway, let’s eat so we can get started on s’more experiments.” 

Taekwoon happily complies, his mouth starting to water at the smell of the various scents wafting off the food in front of them. He grabs one of the plates Hakyeon set out and begins to pile various pieces of chicken, mostly garlic herb, onto his plate, and takes a healthy bite of one before he realizes that Hakyeon has not yet moved. Instead, the other is staring at him, an amused smile on his face as he holds one can of beer in each hand, movement seeming to be paused in the act of offering one to his guest. Taekwoon swallows thickly. 

“Are you starving too?” Hakyeon teases.

“I haven’t eaten since lunch,” Taekwoon returns setting his chicken down and reaching for a napkin. He wipes his hands quickly.

“I’m not complaining, it’s there to be eaten.” Hakyeon again offers him one of the drinks and Taekwoon takes it gratefully, popping the tab and taking a deep drink, washing down the food. 

“Maybe I need to start packing you snacks so you’re not quite so ravenous,” Hakyeon suggests thoughtfully as he starts to pile his own plate high with food.

Taekwoon stares back at him, eyes widening at the words. He can feel his face starting to heat up as he turns the phrase over in his head, but instead of responding he decides to focus again on his food. “This is really good.”

“Isn’t it?” Hakyeon agrees easily. “Whenever I want chicken I order from here. I like to try, but I’m not a great cook,” he said with a smile.

“Should I be worried about cooking with you later then?” Taekwoon asks teasingly.

“I’m not sure making marshmallows technically qualifies as cooking. The majority of the process is just melting things, which I can do without even trying. So maybe I’ll be a marshmallow making prodigy.”

Taekwoon snorts into his beer in response and he sets it down so he won’t make a mess. He is surprised at how relaxed he is feeling considering how awkward he usually feels in unfamiliar spaces. There is something about Hakyeon though that sets him at ease, something that makes him feel comfortable in his own skin. At Hakyeon’s insistence, he piles the last few pieces of chicken onto his own plate and chews happily as Hakyeon gives him a basic rundown of the process of making marshmallows.

“You don’t even need a candy thermometer really, all you need to do is test your sugar, but all the recipes I read say it’s easier with the thermometer, so we’re using one.”

“As long as neither of us ends up in the hospital, I’ll go with whatever method you think is best.”

Hakyeon rolls his eyes, then leans back from the table, clapping his hands. “Are we done eating now?”

Taekwoon glances at his empty plate and the empty boxes at the center of the table and nods sadly.

“Great. I’ll clean up here if you will go turn on the television and find the channel the show is airing on? We have about twenty minutes until it starts, but I don’t want to miss anything.”

“Do we really have to watch?” Taekwoon asks nearly whining.

“We at least need it on because I told Wonshik we would. If we happen to miss most of it because we’re distracted by marshmallows, that’s an entirely different story.”

Obediently, Taekwoon stands and hands Hakyeon his plate before wandering the few steps to the living room and staring down at the coffee table and the various remote controls on it. “Which one of these is for your TV?”

“The black one, the gray one is the cable!” Hakyeon’s voice calls back to him from the kitchen.

Once the television is on, Taekwoon pulls out his phone to search the show and make sure he knows which channel is airing it. He flips to the channel and turns the volume down so that he can just barely hear it. He then sets the remote back in place and takes the opportunity to study the photos above Hakyeon’s couch before joining him in the kitchen. The wall is nearly covered, all of the photos framed and meticulously spaced and placed. There are photos of Hakyeon, and presumably his family, through the years, and some of who Taekwoon assumes are his friends. He recognizes one where Hongbin and Wonshik, the latter’s hair a vibrant orange this time, flank Hakyeon as they lounge on a park bench. There are also several of Hakyeon and various small children, presumably his nieces and nephews. 

“Stop creeping on my life.”

Taekwoon whirls at Hakyeon’s voice so close to his ear and clutches at his chest in surprise. “Oh my god,” he splutters, heart racing.

Hakyeon’s laugh is bright and has him bringing up his own hand to cover his mouth as he laughs at Taekwoon’s reaction. “I’m not even sorry. You startle way too easily.”

Taekwoon sends him a glare before dropping down into a crouch, arms crossing over his knees and hiding his face. “You’re so mean. I’m going to ask for a new partner if this keeps up.”

“Please, like anyone else could handle you,” Hakyeon replies dismissively. “Now come on, let’s start the marshmallows.” He brushes his fingertips along the back of Taekwoon’s head where he still sits in his crouch, skimming the nape of his neck as he returns to the kitchen.

Taekwoon gasps softly at the feeling of Hakyeon’s fingers on his skin and takes a few extra deep breaths to calm himself before he unfolds himself into a standing position and follows him.

When Taekwoon enters the kitchen, Hakyeon is pulling on an apron that has a picture of a wine glass on it with the words “when I sip, you sip, we sip” and holding another out to Taekwoon who eyes it distrustfully. “I don’t think this will be a messy process, but you are also still in your work clothes and I don’t want to take any chances,” he explains with a pointed look at the button up and slacks Taekwoon dons.

Taekwoon rolls his eyes then pulls the apron on and gives Hakyeon an expectant look. His has a rolling pin with “they see me rollin’, they hatin’” stitched onto it.

“We need a selca,” Hakyeon declares whipping out his phone and forcing Taekwoon to pose. Taekwoon stares at the camera, fingers coming up to make the smallest v as Hakyeon snaps the photo. After he is satisfied, he turns to Taekwoon again, “Now, marshmallow lessons with Hakyeonnie, start!” he chirps. “Step one is to bloom your gelatin so that the marshmallows are super fluffy,” Hakyeon explains, Youtuber voice on, as he gestures towards the packages of unflavored gelatin sitting next to his stand mixer.

“I thought you said you don’t cook—this is pretty fancy stuff for someone who doesn’t use it regularly,” Taekwoon observes.

“I don’t cook much, no, but I do bake. Now please, measure out a half cup of that ice water for me.”

Taekwoon follows the directions, adding the water and gelatin as instructed wile Hakyeon starts adding the rest of the water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt to a saucepan and covers it.

“The recipe says to leave it for 3-4 minutes like this, then uncover and add the thermometer.”

Taekwoon glances at the mixer in front of him, “Was I supposed to turn that on yet?”

Hakyeon consults the recipe and shakes his head, “Nah, not until this stuff reaches about 116 degrees.” 

Taekwoon hums in response and glances around Hakyeon’s kitchenette. He notes that while Hakyeon has more living room space, his own kitchen is definitely bigger and would be better for future culinary experiments. 

“So, I’m thinking in terms of actual decorations and setting up our campsite, we should go the ‘glamping’ route,” Hakyeon suggests as he uncovers the pot and carefully clips the thermometer to the side.

“Glamping?” Taekwoon asks, brows furrowed as he studies Hakyeon’s movements. “I thought the theme was camping?” he steps closer to Hakyeon, standing just behind him as they both watch the mixture in the saucepan begin to bubble. He’s hovering closely, but is careful not to do anything that could possibly get either of them burned. Hakyeon’s gaze is intent on watching the temperature on the thermometer rise and Taekwoon’s gaze slips to the curve if his neck and the skin of his shoulder as it disappears into the collar of his shirt.

“It means glamorous camping. Less rocks and dirt and more luxury. Will you start the mixer on low now? This is just about there and we need to pour it in as the gelatin mix is going.

Taekwoon rips his eyes away from where they’ve strayed and moves back to the mixer and does as Hakyeon instructed, “Isn’t the whole point of camping to not be luxurious?”

“Yeah, but if we spin that idea and give the upgraded version, we can stand out. Watch out,” Hakyeon warns, pulling on oven mitts and removing the pot from the stove.

Taekwoon steps aside again when Hakyeon moves his way with the boiling mixture. “I think next time we try a recipe we should use my kitchen, it’s definitely bigger than yours,” he says off handedly while flattening himself against a cabinet to avoid Hakyeon and a potential trip to the emergency room.

“Noted. All future culinary adventures take place in Taekwoon’s apartment,” Hakyeon grins back. “Okay, so we basically just drizzle this in, let it go until it’s all white and fluffy, then add in the vanilla at the end and let it mix. To make it into…not fluff, we line a sheet pan, or in our case a pie tin, with a mixture of cornstarch and powdered sugar and just let it set. Since we want gooey anyway, we just let it set as long as we can and hope that works. It’ll be perfect for scooping up on cookies.”

“When do we put the chocolate in?”

Hakyeon stares back at him, eyes wide at the question before suddenly bursting out in laughter again, “How did I forget the chocolate in a s’mores recipe?” he asks smacking himself on the forehead. 

“What if instead of lining the pan with the cornstarch and sugar mixture, we line it with wax paper and the chocolate bars? Then we can throw the whole thing in the oven for a few minutes so the chocolate melts?

“And brulee the top so it’s toasted!”

“Would the broiler work? I’m not sure I trust myself with a blowtorch on national television,” Taekwoon asks warily. 

“It would,” Hakyeon laughs. “You can always leave the torching to me though since they want to see us working more closely together in the coming episodes.”

“It’s still stupid,” Taekwoon grumbles staring at the marshmallows coming to life in the mixture. “If I could do everything you can, why would they partner us up with an expert?”

Hakyeon hums his agreement while retrieving a pie tin from one of the lower cabinets in the kitchen. “You brought the chocolate and Digets, right?”

Taekwoon frowns, brow furrowing before what Hakyeon asks him clicks. “Hang on,” he murmurs, then returns to the entryway where he dropped his bag along with his shoes. The box of cookies is a little battered, and both bars of chocolate are snapped in half, but everything he bought the previous day is still there, so Taekwoon brings his spoils back, dumping them on the counter beside the newly excavated tin now covered in wax paper.

Hakyeon snorts, but unwraps the chocolate and breaks it up more, filling the bottom of the tin with it. Taekwoon takes the other bar and mimics what Hakyeon does. They work together, methodically placing the chocolate until it resembles a mosaic. Taekwoon glances over at the marshmallow fluff and sees that it has grown considerably in size.

“Is it ready now?” he asks, eyes following the whisk attachment of the mixer as it moves around the bowl.

“It looks like marshmallows to me,” Hakyeon shrugs. “Let me add some of the vanilla extract so that it is flavored, and then we can get it out of the bowl and into the tin. 

Taekwoon watches as Hakyeon measures out a small amount of the liquid and dumps it in. Once it is incorporated, he stops the mixture and beats the whisk lightly against the side of the bowl, getting off what he can that is stuck to it. 

He turns to put it in the sink, but Taekwoon snags it from his hand and gives him a smile, “I’ll be the taste tester.” He runs his finger along one of the spokes of the whisk and gathers some of the fluff stuck to it before popping his finger in his mouth and licking at the tip. He’s surprised, it’s sweeter than he anticipated, and extremely sticky, but also delicious. “This is good,” he declares excitedly. He takes another swipe at the whisk and repeats the process, “Really good. You should try it.” He almost offers his finger to Hakyeon, but stops himself, thrusting the whisk at him instead.

“Let me add this to the chocolate and then I will,” 

Hakyeon’s voice is a little strained, but Taekwoon shrugs it off and continues to enjoy the treat while Hakyeon piles the white fluff into the pie tin and places the dish onto the counter to sit. 

“If you don’t eat this now I’m going to finish it,” Taekwoon says once again offering the whisk to Hakyeon. 

To his mild disappointment, Hakyeon takes the whisk this time. However, instead of gathering some of the fluff on his finger like Taekwoon, he uses his tongue, licking a long stripe up one of the spokes and gathering the fluff on his tongue. Taekwoon swallows thickly as Hakyeon licks his lips and smirks back at him.

“You’re right,” Hakyeon says, voice light, “that is delicious.” He takes the whisk and drops it into the mixing bowl, then dumps both into the sink. He runs water in them, then turns back to Taekwoon. “We should get ready to watch the show, it’s probably started already,” he finishes casually.

Taekwoon nods vaguely and follows as Hakyeon leads him back into the living room. They settle on either side of the couch as Hakyeon takes the remote and turns the volume back up. “I think we missed the intro.”

“The less I see of me the better,” Taekwoon mumbles earning himself a slap on the thigh. “Ouch,” he pouts rubbing the abused spot.

Hakyeon’s commentary keeps him entertained throughout the episode. With all six teams still present, and them not being in the top or bottom, Taekwoon finds that they don’t get as much screen time as he feared. He has to turn his phone on do not disturb after the first commercial break because Sanghyuk is sending him text after text along with several screen shots of his face in awkward pause positions and even more of him wearing the cat ears. The judges’ comments aren’t any easier to swallow even days later, and Taekwoon finds himself staring down in his lap again as he hears again how the texture of his cake is wrong and that his decorating skills are garbage. 

“Hey,” Hakyeon says quietly, leaning over to lay a hand on his arm, “they’re still idiots.”

Taekwoon gives him a small, grateful smile in reply. While the credits roll, Taekwoon checks his ignored messages and silently resolves to make Sanghyuk’s life a little more difficult than necessary for as long as he has to keep filming.

After the episode, they wander back into the kitchen to check on their treat. It’s still mostly goo, but Taekwoon needs to get home soon. “We may need to pretend they’re more set than they are and try and get them broiled,” he says holding up his phone to display the time.

Hakyeon nods, setting the oven to broil and carefully transferring the tin inside so the chocolate can melt and the top can get crispy. “What did you think of the episode?” Hakyeon asks.

“Not nearly as bad as it could have been,” Taekwoon replies playing with the strings on his apron. “Not too much of my face,” he laughs.

“Stop doing that,” Hakyeon says giving him a pointed look. “Be nice to yourself. You have a very nice face. Let the world appreciate it.”

Taekwoon stares back at him confused. Hakyeon’s words are kind, and he wants to read into them, see more that could be there, but he also knows that Hakyeon is just kind in general. The second thought has him nodding, “Sorry, I’ll keep the self-deprecation to a minimum.”

“Good,” Hakyeon smiles as he pulls the marshmallow and chocolate mixture from the oven. He sets it on a trivet while Taekwoon opens up the dented box of cookies, takes one for himself then and offers the sleeve to Hakyeon.

Together they swipe their cookies through the fluff, trying to hit the chocolate layer at the bottom. Taekwoon finds that the concoction is warm and instantly slides down the cookie towards his hand as soon as he pulls it up to his mouth, and as messy as it looks, the taste is amazing. He tells Hakyeon as much.

“This is the best thing I have ever tasted,” he says through a mouthful of goo.

“It’s so good, right?” Hakyeon asks taking another cookie and dipping it again.

They eat most of the pan before Taekwoon has to stop, feeling sick at the insane amount of sugar he has ingested in the last ten minutes. “Moderation is also good though,” he says pulling a face and stepping back.

Hakyeon nods, pushing the tin away from himself, “There is such a thing as too much of a good thing,” he agrees, face twisted.

Soon after, Taekwoon gathers his things, bids Hakyeon goodbye, and laments his life choices on the bus ride back to his apartment. He’s still feeling a bit queasy when he finally lays down an hour and a half later.

Taekwoon wakes up on Thursday with a melody in his head and keeps humming it as he pours Mochi’s food into her bowl. It’s still rough, more of a suggestion than an actual tune, but he can tell it will keep nagging at him until he makes it whole. He has the voice recorder app on his phone open as he gets dressed because sometimes getting the melody out is the only thing that will help it progress. If only it wasn’t a workday he could hide himself away and force it out of his system. As it is, he settles for mindless humming and phantom keys on his thigh on the ride to work.

His desk is a mess once again, another pile of papers stacked on his own, and he sets his bag down with a huff and stares at the offending papers disdainfully. If he could set them on fire without getting fired, he would do so in a heartbeat. He texts Hakyeon with an attached picture of the papers. 

_save me_

Is that more of your colleague’s work???

Taekwoon just sends a frowny face back before trudging off to the break room to pour himself a cup of coffee so he can gather more strength to face the day. 

Once he’s back at his desk, he sinks into his chair and starts sorting the work into various piles of importance and whether they relate to his own work or Taejoon’s since he’s been tasked with auditing his accounts as well for the acquisition. He’s sorting on autopilot and doesn’t even register that he’s still humming the new melody until Sanghyuk’s voice calls over the partition. “I like the new song, Hyung, and so does Mr. Seo from marketing, but could you try and sing a little quieter?”

He feels himself flush and squeaks out a “Sorry,” before burying his face in his hands. He’s seriously contemplating slipping under his desk; his professionalism is the only thing that stops him. Taejoon e-mails a little while later thanking him for the help in combing through the new documents since he has to present the numbers to their manager in the coming days and it’s his anniversary with his wife this week ,so he’s busy. Taekwoon has to take several deep breaths before he sends back an e-mail that will definitely get him fired, but doesn’t quite manage to hold the curse in as he clicks out of the message with more force than is strictly necessary since he hears a scandalized “I heard that!” float over the partition. He lets out a low growl of frustration that draws an amused giggle from Sanghyuk and goes back to itemizing and cataloging on the spreadsheet he has open. 

Lunch is a quick bowl of instant ramyun that he eats at his desk and he doesn’t leave until well past the time he is usually home. When he finally gets inside, Mochi mewls at him pathetically as he drops his stuff in the entry and only makes it a few steps before he lays face down on the floor. “I’ll feed you in two minutes,” he says into the linoleum, “two minutes.”

It’s ten minutes later when he finally talks himself off of the floor and trudges into the kitchen to feed his cat and decide if he’s more hungry or tired. Hunger wins out in the end and he is relieved to find he has one last plate of leftovers to heat up. He chews mindlessly, barely tasting the food as he goes through the motions of eating. If any of his friends were here, they would be concerned at his lack of enthusiasm, but the exhaustion is too much. He’s annoyed that the melody that’s been playing in his head hasn’t progressed yet because he hasn’t had the time to devote to it. Normally, even if it was a work day, he would come home and have a few solid hours of composing time before he falls into bed, but with the extra workload he’s been stuck at the office later and later. True progress seems like a pipe dream.

Mildly refreshed after his meal, he goes over to his keyboard and plugs his headphones in before doing a quick scale to warm up, then dives straight into the melody that’s been haunting him for the last fourteen hours. The movement of his fingers across the keys is cathartic in a way that nothing else is. He spends a few minutes playing the bit he has written over and over again until the next part seems to manifest on its own. He’s through the first verse and chorus when his phone buzzes next to him on the bench drawing his attention. 

fish is a good camping food right?

Taekwoon’s hands stumble on the keys as he reads the message and he stops playing, letting out a noise of frustration and raking his hands through his hair. Right. Glamping. 

_Fish is good and easy to cook over a fire. You can roast it or for a fancier meal or steam it in a pouch with lemon and herbs, which might fit your glamping idea better. I can test a recipe on my family this week?_

I don’t want to trouble you. I can figure it out.

_My family takes turns with cooking and this week is mine anyway. It won’t be any trouble_

You are wonderful, thank you

_I’m not, but thank you anyway_

Take the compliment

Taekwoon snorts at the text and sets his phone aside to tinker with the keys again, the sound slow as he picks his way through. 

did you fall asleep on me?

Taekwoon contemplates the message, how he could ignore it and continue with the song, but the thought leaves a pit in his stomach.

_I was working on a song. Progress is slower than I want_

Can I hear it?

_No_

Never? :(

_Not yet_

It’s a late night, but he finally gets most of the song sorted and he collapses into bed happily to enjoy whatever sleep he can get.

Friday’s workday passes quickly for Taekwoon and he manages to leave on time so he can make a stop at the market on his way to his parents’ house. He shows up with a bag of groceries and is treated to teasing from his sister.

“Taekwoonie, your television debut was absolutely adorable,” Taemi says with a grin. “Minyullie, didn’t Taekwoonie look so cute with the kitty cat ears?”

“You looked like Mochi,” Minyul replies beaming at him as Taekwoon grunts and moves past them into the kitchen to set the bag down.

“Mom, tell Noona to leave me alone,” he begs as his sister follows him.

“I’m just telling him how cute he was on TV,” his sister protests. “His partner was also something to look at too.”

Taekwoon stills at the words, dreading what may come next.

“Doesn’t he usually fit your type?” she asks innocently.

“_Taemi_,” their mother warns.

“I’m just saying, the last guy Taekwoonie let talk him into looking like a fool in public was also the same one he was dating. I’m just drawing a comparison.”

“No more comparisons, please,” she requests.

Taekwoon gives her a thankful look as he pulls the herbs and veggies out and lines them up before putting the fish in the refrigerator until he needs it.

“What are you making tonight?” his mom asks surveying the counter.

“I’m trying out this fish recipe for Sunday. Me cooking new things for you may happen a lot while I’m still on the show. Don’t worry,” he says throwing a look at his sister, “ I didn’t bring dessert this time since we tested it already.”

“Oh?”

He ignores the overly curious note in her voice, “Yeah, some delicious American thing that was sickeningly sweet and we ate too much of. I’ll try and make it for you all sometime later when I have a whole day,” he promises.

“What are you making for us later?” his dad asks as he steps inside the kitchen.

“The dessert him and his partner tested earlier this week. We get to be the fish testers tonight,” his mom replies.

“That sounds strange,” his dad replies.

Taekwoon huffs out a laugh and sits down at the table to take advantage of the peace and quiet while he has it. 

“What’s wrong, Love?” his mom asks coming over to take his hand and sit next to him. 

“Work,” Taekwoon sighs in reply. “A huge project that happens to run along the same time frame the show does and it’s more stress than I needed right now. I am also working on a new song and didn’t sleep much last night so I could get it sorted.”

His mother gives him a hard look at that. 

“I’ll go to sleep early tonight, I promise, I just needed it _out_.

“Our little songbird,” she sighs.

They sit like that for a while longer until Taekwoon starts in on dinner. “I remember when you first taught me to cook,” he says fondly while she watches him slice vegetables.

“You were only a little older than Minyullie, but you wouldn’t take no for an answer,” she laughs.

“And look at me now.”

He sings quietly for her while he works, the melody that has been haunting him, no lyrics just yet, but once he is finished she is wiping a tear from her eye.

“My little songbird,” she says again, smiling up at him this time.

The fish is a hit with his family and Taekwoon is relieved, glad that it’s one more component he won’t have to worry about. He cuts the night short so he can sleep (and so he won’t incur the wrath of his mom) and heads home to his cat and to sleep for as long as he can before filming week two.

The lights and sounds of the studio are slightly less intimidating for Taekwoon on the second Saturday of filming. The camera constantly trained on his face is something he’ll never get used to though and he can feel the sweat instantly start to bead along his hairline the longer he stands waiting for directions. Jaehwan saunters in as usual and does his routine of talking to the contestants and Taekwoon feels some of the tension bleed out of his shoulders at the sense of familiarity. The warmth of Hakyeon’s presence at his side is also comforting since he knows that he’ll have someone to lean on if anything goes wrong like it did the previous weekend.

“Welcome back to week two of Craft It! I hope you all had a restful week and that you’ve come ready to make great things!” Jaehwan’s voice rings out in the studio.” There are fewer of us here this week, huh? They’ll be even less next week!” he continues, eyes bright with laughter.

Taekwoon snorts as a few of the other contestants laugh nervously at observation and look to one another with unease. It’s just like Jaehwan to make a joke like that.

“You already know this week’s theme is “camping” and the judges and I are excited to see how each of your teams has interpreted this challenge. As usual, we’ll start with our Quick Craft challenge where you will have twenty minutes to create something new. This week, we’re going to ask you to come up with creative solutions for finding lighting out in the woods for those dark and scary nights.”

Taekwoon’s eyes slide over to Hakyeon who is deep in thought, a crease between his brow as he studies the host. He hopes his partner’s creativity can save them once again because he is at a loss.

“You will have the Crafting Closet at your disposal as usual, so get ready to craft it! Three, two, one—”

Hakyeon takes off running before Taekwoon can even process the start of the challenge. He has no idea what a camping craft could entail, so he trusts that Hakyeon has a plan to make something. He decides heading to their station is better than just standing alone in the middle of the room staring after his partner, so he makes his way over and tries to look busy with pulling a pad of paper and pen towards himself. Luckily, Hakyeon appears a minute later, a couple of tin cans and battery operated tea light candles in his arms which tumble across the table as he dumps them out. Taekwoon waits patiently for an explanation.

“We’re making lights,” he explains picking up one can. “We’re going take nails and poke holes in the sides in different designs, then put the candles down inside. In a perfect camping world these would be citronella, but we’re working with what they’ve got.”

“What kind of designs?” Taekwoon asks grabbing the other can and rolling it between his hands.

“Easy ones,” Hakyeon replies digging in their supplies for nails. “Stars, hearts, whatever is simple, but cute.”

When Taekwoon takes the nail from him, he feels his stomach swoop at the contact between their hands and he pushes the feeling down, determined not to blush with the camera so close to him. “Thanks,” he says quietly and contemplates his blank canvas. “What if we did constellations?” he asks.

Hakyeon’s face splits into a grin. His eyes crinkling as he looks back at Taekwoon, “That sounds perfect. We can even do a few on each can. You’re better at crafting than you give yourself credit for.”

Taekwoon can’t stop the blush this time at Hakyeon’s praise and he ducks his head to try and stave off some of the embarrassment. Knowing that time is passing, he only allows himself a few seconds to hide before he pulls himself together and focuses back on the task. “Do you know—” he cuts himself off when he sees Hakyeon laying their team’s iPad down flat in front of them, a map of constellations on the screen.

“We can each take half the zodiac. We may not get all of them, but at least we can get some. I’ll start at the beginning, you can start at the end and we’ll meet in the middle.”

Taekwoon nods, then uses a nail to start poking the shape of Pisces into his can while Hakyeon starts on Aries. He only manages to make it through Capricorn before Jaehwan’s loud voice tells him they are down to one minute remaining. He throws a look to Hakyeon who has just finished forming one of his constellations as well. “I only got three done,” Taekwoon says, holding it out for inspection.

“I got through Leo, but mine were less complicated,” Hakyeon says with a shrug. “Here, let me put the candles in and we can light them.”

Taekwoon dutifully hands his can to Hakyeon who flips the switch on two of the tea lights and drops them inside. The results are simple, but cute, and Taekwoon decides he wouldn’t mind making something like this for his nephew.

After Jaehwan and the judges are standing before them, Taekwoon feels that prickle of panic start to creep up his spine again. The words from last week are still weighing on him, how the brunt of the criticism was directed towards him and how again today it was Hakyeon who saved the day with the quick craft. Surprisingly, the judges like their design this week, saying that it’s a good balance of time management and utilization of the task. 

“It would be a little more eye catching if they were painted,” Soljin says thoughtfully.

“But then you’d have paint all over your hands from holding it,” Taekwoon replies before he can stop himself. 

He feels the blood drain out of his face and is already formulating a reply when Heechul’s bark of laughter has Soljin turning her annoyance on him, swatting him playfully as they move on to the next contestants. Jaehwan throws him a wink as he follows.

“If we go home this week, it’s because of me,” Taekwoon whines sinking down into the chair behind his station. “All of the judges are going to hate me by the end of tomorrow at this rate.”

Hakyeon rolls his eyes and starts to clean up their station, putting the nails back into their container and turning to Taekwoon, “We’re not going home. Stop putting that out into the universe,” he says.

Taekwoon scoffs, but keeps his mouth shut. 

In the downtime before the upcycle challenge, Hakyeon shows him pictures of the apartment he is currently working on. His client is has a taste for upscale, but on a fairly small budget, so he’s been transforming pieces she already had or thrift store finds.

“You’re really talented,” Taekwoon says after he’s seen all of the photos.

“Thank you, I like what I make, but it’s always good to hear that someone else appreciates your work. What about you? How is your song coming along?”

“It’s okay,” Taekwoon shrugs. “I wish I had more time to work on it without sacrificing sleep, but with the acquisition project at work and filming the show, that’s my only real option.”

Hakyeon hums, “You should tell your coworker to do his own work.”

“He’s best friends with our manager, so any complaints I have wouldn’t be heard. It’s only for a few more weeks.”

Hakyeon’s eyes narrow and he looks like he wants to say something, to protest, but he stays silent.

Taekwoon deflates a bit, feeling like he’s somehow disappointed the other and he’s surprised at how much that thought hurts. He’s saved from having to find a new subject to talk about by Hongbin’s voice as he calls all of the contestants over to the front staging area to talk about the transformation challenge.

The same as last week, Jaehwan stands in front of a tower of objects concealed by a cloth. 

“Contestants, the judges were really impressed with everyone’s quick crafting ideas, but one team’s light source was a little cuter than the others. “Hakyeon, Taekwoon, you two will get to enjoy ten extra minutes during tomorrow’s Final Craft.

Taekwoon feels his jaw drop open, then Hakyeon’s arms around him as the other pulls him into a hug. He returns it stiffly, briefly enjoying the warmth of the other before he’s turning confused eyes back to Jaehwan.

“As for the upcycle challenge, you will be given 45 minutes to make something new out of the items behind me. Remember, creativity counts,”Jaehwan announces. “Here is what you will be working with today!” With a flourish of his arm, the cloth behind him is lifted and stacked up on the podium behind him are piles of various bedding. Pillows, sheets, blankets, duvets all piled on top of one another.

“They want us to re-purpose bedding?” Junghoon asks to his left.

Taekwoon turns to Hakyeon and sees his eyes positively sparkling with delight. “We’re making household stuff—an apron, a futon, stuff like that,” Hakyeon murmurs leaning in to Taekwoon’s personal space again. “Since this one isn’t for an advantage, we don’t have to worry too much about creativity, we just need stuff we can use tomorrow.”

“Do you want me to grab anything specific?”

“Go for the minimal ones. Black and white, gray, nothing too flowery or colorful,” Hakyeon instructs.

Taekwoon nods and eyes the pile of fabrics zeroing in on the ones Hakyeon described. His athleticism works to his advantage when Jaehwan yells “go” and he’s the first to arrive. He grabs any and everything that even partially matches the description Hakyeon gave him and when his arms are full he takes his spoils back to their station to begin formulating a full plan. Together they work on laying out the fabric to see what they grabbed and Hakyeon starts laughing when they finally lay the last piece out.

“Is this enough?” Taekwoon asks concerned.

“More than. I think we could cover the whole studio if we used all of this,” Hakyeon grins back at him. “We’ll have leftovers for sure.”

Taekwoon nods and waits for instructions as Hakyeon grabs his notebook and starts making a list. “We’re going to make curtains, an apron, a futon cover, maybe a laundry bag if there’s time?” he begins listing, talking mostly to himself. 

Taekwoon gapes at the list, mouth dropping open at the list Hakyeon has given him. “In 45 minutes?”

“I sew fast,” Hakyeon says dismissively. “Now, which of these look most like curtains?” he gestures to the various patterns laid out.

Taekwoon takes a second to contemplate their options. The vertical striped ones remind him a bit of a circus tent, so those are out, there are polka dot ones, but those remind him more of a kid’s room than something that’s supposed to be fancy. His eyes finally settle on a more intricate pattern and he grabs them, holding them up for Hakyeon’s inspection, “These?”

“Iron gate, I love it,” Hakyeon agrees with a nod. He takes them from Taekwoon and immediately lays them out on the bench in front of them and starts measuring. “Our tent has three windows, each one is 64x46, so I’ll just make three sets.”

“What do you need me to do?” Taekwoon asks as Hakyeon works. He glances around to see that everyone else is at work and he is the only person just standing around.

“Can you go grab me three of those really thick wooden dowels? The two and a half centimeter ones? You’re also going to cut some strips off the excess of this fabric for me so we can loop it and hang the curtains with it.”

Fifteen minutes later, Taekwoon is hot gluing the fabric in loops on the back of the curtains at ten centimeter intervals while Hakyeon is happily working away on an apron using the polka dot fabric. 

“You should wear this tomorrow while you cook,” Hakyeon’s voice is teasing, and Jaehwan once again materializes out of nowhere to chime in, “More accessories for Taekwoon? You seem to like dressing him up.”

Taekwoon feels himself color and throws the host a death glare which has him laughing and scurrying off towards another set of contestants to bother.

“If you do wear this, it would be a theme we’re establishing,” Hakyeon muses flipping the fabric and folding over the ends to sew seams. “I’d have to make you something to wear every week.”

“Last time I checked your job was interior designer, not personal stylist.” 

The cameraman assigned to them starts zooming in on Taekwoon’s expression and he feels himself closing off, his face going blank the closer he gets. He turns his attention back to the task of threading each dowel through the loops and making sure they lay straight, purposefully ignoring the camera. Once he’s satisfied, he sets the project down and watches as Hakyeon finishes up the apron, folding it again to make a pocket, then running a line of stitching up the center of the pocket to divide it into two sections. 

“Five minutes,” Jaehwan’s voice calls out.

“Looks like the laundry bag will have to wait for tomorrow if we decide to do it. I’ll only have enough time to put the strings on this.”

Taekwoon nods and begins cleaning up their station. Brushing the scraps of fabric off to one corner and winding the cord of the hot glue gun back around the base. He’s keeping himself busy as his mind starts to drift back to last week and how the judges were unimpressed with their use of upcycling. He’s hoping that curtains and an apron are a big enough difference this time. As they wait, Hakyeon approaches him, apron in hand, and holds it out expectantly. Taekwoon stares at the fabric knowing what Hakyeon wants, but not willing to comply. “You wear it,” he insists.

Hakyeon’s smile droops just a little and Taekwoon feels his resolve crumbling. 

“You won’t even try it on?” 

Hakyeon’s eyes are wide, pleading, and it’s the nail in the proverbial coffin. Taekwoon sighs, snatches the apron from Hakyeon, then loops it around his neck. Before he can tie it, Hakyeon turns him, tugs the strings into place and knots them neatly behind his back. Hakyeon’s breath ghosts across his ear as he whispers a quick _thanks_ and Taekwoon fights back a shiver.

The judges, as it turns out, love their makings this week. “These curtains are genius,” Kibum says holding up one of the sets. I love the pattern choice and the stitching is straight and neat. I’m not sure how hot glue will hold up long term, but in 45 minutes, this level of execution is impressive.”

“I like the apron,” Soljin says taking a step forward and tugging at the edge of the fabric. Taekwoon takes a step back to maintain distance and finds himself nearly stepping into Hakyeon who places a hand on the small of his back to help balance him. “Again, the edges are really neat and I’m impressed you somehow made all of these in such quick time.” 

“Thank you, we worked hard on these. They’re actually a little hint into our campground for tomorrow, so please anticipate it.” Hakyeon replies with a beaming smile.

“How do curtains fit in with camping?” Jaehwan asks the judges, who give him a baffled look in response. “Mysteries to ponder,” he shrugs, then steers the judges towards the next set of contestants.

Taekwoon belatedly realizes he is still in Hakyeon’s space and turns abruptly to return to their station. Hakyeon follows him, smile still in place. “That wasn’t nearly as painful as last week,” Taekwoon comments sinking down onto his stool.

Hakyeon gives another shrug, “You win some, you lose some. Last week they didn’t fully see our vision until Sunday, this week, they’re seeing it.”

“They literally said they don’t know what our stuff had to do with camping. They’re seeing less this week than last,” Taekwoon protests.

“I guess mystery suits them,” Hakyeon returns unbothered. “Are you still good for dinner again after this? I am _starving._

“I am always good for food,” Taekwoon replies.

\------

As they sit down at nearly the same table they had the previous weekend, Hakyeon drops his bag at his feet and calls over the waitress to place their order while Taekwoon once again divvies out utensils and pours them each a cup of water. He’s feeling closer to Taekwoon these days, which is lucky since if the judges reactions today are anything to go off of they will need to interact with each other for at least another week, which is perfectly fine to Hakyeon. As they wait for their food, Hakyeon ventures a little small talk, something he has realized Taekwoon isn’t very fond of. “There’s really no hope of your coworker not taking advantage of you?” Taekwoon’s sigh is answer enough, but he’s pleased when the other elaborates.

“He is very good at office politics.” 

Hakyeon winces in sympathy, nodding to the waitress in thanks as he clears off space on their table to receive their order. 

Taekwoon takes possession of the scissors and skillfully begins to cut the meat as he talks. “His presentation is next week, Thursday I think, so after that it should end and I can put all of my focus back onto my own responsibilities instead of dividing them. Then Maybe I can get home at a decent time,” he grumbles.

“Your boss really doesn’t see the true situation that is happening?”

“He’s three floors above us,” Taekwoon shrugs. “’Out of the trenches’ as he likes to say, though what trenches exist in accounting are beyond me, but it’s not my saying.”

Hakyeon snorts and takes a sip of the beer he ordered and pulls a face at the bitter taste. 

“So no, I don’t think he knows or cares. As long as the numbers get run and the report is complete it could be done by mice he and he would be fine with it.”

“That sounds beyond frustrating,” Hakyeon says as Taekwoon begins to fiddle with the meat on the grill. The smoke coming off it is starting to waft in his direction and his stomach growls at the scent.

“Hungry?” Taekwoon teases as he hears the noise.

“Like you’re not?” Hakyeon pouts. He decides to try and distract the other and keep him talking. “What about that song you said you were working on? Any new developments?”

“It’s in the rough stages still, but I have a melody and some of the lyrics now. The B section still needs work, but the chorus is strong, so I’m not worried.”

“Will you let me hear it?” Hakyeon asks hopefully.

“I’ll let you hear it once Jaehwan is done recording it.”

That response has Hakyeon pulling back from the table and narrowing his eyes at Taekwoon, “Jaehwan like, host of the show Jaehwan?”

Taekwoon’s brow furrows in confusion as he stares back at Hakyeon “Yes? Is That bad?”

“You know Jaehwan? He’s singing your song?” Hakyeones voice sounds strained even to his own ears, but he can do nothing to stop it.

“Yes?” Taekwoon asks, clearly confused as to the source of Hakyeon’s aggression.

“Didn’t you just meet at the pairing episode?” When Taekwoon shakes his head, Hakyeon’s eyes narrow further, “How long have you known him?”

“We met at university—”

“You have known him _years_ and didn’t tell me?” he’s not sure why he’s getting so angry himself, but he can’t stop feeling it.

“I don’t understand the problem here,” Taekwoon replies, voice flat as he begins to pull the meat off the grill so it doesn’t burn. “You’ve known Wonshik since you were kids and Hongbin for a couple years too, so why is it so wrong that I know Jaehwan?”

“Because I told you two weeks ago that I knew them,” Hakyeon shoots back in response, careful to keep his voice low so they don’t draw the attention of the whole restaurant. “This is information you should have volunteered without me having to ask you.”

Taekwoon gapes at him, and the response makes Hakyeon even angrier because he can feel himself being irrational about this but he can’t stop it. He feels betrayed because he thought Taekwoon trusted him, was finally opening up to him, but this clearly shows the opposite. He feels stupid for thinking he meant something to Taekwoon he clearly didn’t. Taekwoon’s silence now is deafening. It’s like they’re back to square one. He wraps his piece of pork in lettuce and shoves it into his mouth, chewing harder than he should to get it down quickly and end their dinner earlier. 

“You know you’re being stupid, right?” Taekwoon asks finally.

That’s the final straw. Hakyeon bristles at the question, shoving another wrap into his mouth and pushing back abruptly from the table. Now he’s being _stupid?!_ He knows he’s acting out but-- but that’s for _ him _ to say, not Taekwoon. Why would Taekwoon care about how he’s acting anyway? He didn’t care enough to tell him about Jaehwan. “Finish your meal, I’ll take care of the bill. I’ll see you in the morning,” he says coolly then walks off towards the register without a backwards glance.

The whole walk home he is seething, but mostly at himself, over the whole thing. He fires off a text to Wonshik, thumbs jabbing at the screen.

Did you know Taekwoon knows Jaehwan?

_yaeah? didn’t u? they ran that article lst week profiling everyone, i thought u saw it?_

Hakyeon stops walking, eyes re-reading Wonshik’s text over and over again. The anger drains out of him and shame floods in.

I…read the part about me? To check the accuracy, but then my client called and I forgot to finish it.

The realization hurts, but apologizing to Taekwoon will hurt more tomorrow. He hopes he hasn’t ruined everything.

The following morning, Hakyeon wakes up feeling like an ass. He takes his time sipping his tea before talking himself into his usual morning run to clear his head. The whole time he makes his circuit, he replays his conversation and overreaction to Taekwoon from last night. He can’t believe he blew up like that; that he stormed out of the restaurant without even giving Taekwoon a chance to explain anything. He lets out a frustrated noise as he waits for the indicator to change telling him it’s safe to cross the street and ducks his head when the lady beside him gives him a confused look.

He arrives at filming carrying a tray from the cafe he frequents, another tea for himself and a vanilla latte and blueberry scone for Taekwoon because he knows the way to his partner’s heart is through treats. To his dismay, Taekwoon gives him a brief glance, mutters a quick “thanks” then goes back to ignoring him as he gets his makeup done. The stylist raises her eyebrows in question at their interaction, but Hakyeon just sinks into the chair next to him and sips his tea as he waits his turn. The silence is awkward, which it’s never been even when they barely knew one another and Hakyeon wants to fix it, but he doesn’t know how. He anticipates a day of tension and torture as they somehow have to survive this episode while Taekwoon is apparently giving him the silent treatment. 

Hongbin appears, a clipboard in hand and smiles at Hakyeon, “How is team TaekYeon doing today?”

Taekwoon wrinkles his nose and Hakyeon snorts.

“That’s what the netizents have nicknamed you,” Hongbin explains. 

“Team TaekYeon is fine, but prefers not to be referred to as such,” Hakyeon tells him with a pointed look.

“I told you, it’s not me, it’s the netizens.”

Hakyeon rolls his eyes and lets himself be made up while Hongbin chats lightly with Taekwoon.

To his amusement, when Hakyeon sees the set for the first time he finds that the crafting spaces are made up to look like the great outdoors, with fake grass and backgrounds of vinyl trees stuck on the usually bare walls.

“Welcome back to Camping Week!” Jaehwan says grinning at the remaining contestants. As you know, today you will have four hours to put together the ultimate camping site, so we look forward to what you will be making today! Hakyeon, Taekwoon,” he continues, turning his gaze toward them, “you two won our quick craft challenge yesterday earning yourselves ten extra minutes today. So you will be able to start when I say go. Everyone else,” he turns to address the rest of the teams, “You will have to wait for the second go.”

Hakyeon turns to Taekwoon and is pleased to see the corners of his mouth raised in the ghost of a smile. 

“Are you ready?”

At their eager shouts of yes, Jaehwan starts the timer and both Hakyeon and Taekwoon scramble off toward their station. “I’ll start the marshmallows,” Hakyeon says, can you grab the chocolate and start breaking it into chunks and lining the pie tin with it so we can layer it after they’re done?”

Taekwoon barely acknowledges him, just grabs the tin, chocolate, and wax paper and gets to work. Hakyeon holds back the sigh he wants to heave and focuses on his own task, guilt still roiling in his stomach.

Taekwoon finishes before Hakyeon and stands there, not saying anything, seemingly waiting for instruction, which is fair because they never did really get to strategize the previous night as planned. Hakyeon notices the cameraman zooming in on them, and turns, throwing Taekwoon a bright smile, “Will you grab the tent—that tan bag under the table—and take it over and start assembling it? I’ll be over to help as soon as I get these in the tin.”

Taekwoon does as asked with no protest, only showing any sign of emotion when he goes to grab the bag and realizes just how heavy it is. “What kind of tent is this?” he groans as he begins dragging it towards the designated area.

“A luxury one,” Hakyeon can’t help but laugh at the pout that graces Taekwoon’s features as he is inconvenienced by the weight.

Hakyeon makes quick work of flavoring and spreading the marshmallows out, satisfied when the chocolate disappears under the white fluffy goo. As soon as it is set aside to firm up, he grabs another box that was stashed under the table and brings it over to where Taekwoon is struggling with the poles. He sets the box aside and approaches Taekwoon cautiously, aware that the other is still rightfully mad at him, but they’ll still need to work together to complete the campsite. 

“I think that’s the wrong pole,” Hakyeon says gently, gesturing towards the color on the end. 

Taekwoon gives him a baffled look, staring from pole to Hakyeon, then back to pole.

“The reds go with the reds, blues with the blue…” Hakyeon trails off as understanding dawns on Taekwoon. He holds out the other red pole, a proverbial olive branch, and is relieved when Taekwoon exchanges it for the blue in his hand. As they work together, the tent takes shape fairly quickly, but still eats up about 45 minutes of their time so Hakyeon is even happier about winning the advantage the previous day. 

After the canvas cover is slipped over the poles and the bottom piece is attached to the walls to actually make it into a tent, they both step back to admire their work. 

“This is huge,” Taekwoon comments stepping inside and looking up at the more than thirty centimeters of space between himself and the highest point in the ceiling,

“I told you, luxury,” Hakyeon singsongs, then gestures Taekwoon back towards their area. Now we have to grab the cots and everything else. 

Taekwoon’s eyes are huge, but he remains quiet, obediently following and taking items Hakyeon shoves into his hands and bringing them back. He stays silent as they assemble the cots and shove them together to make one large sleeping space. 

“We’ll make a futon with the batting from the crafting closet,” Hakyeon says, wanting to scream at himself from the night before for making today as frustrating as it is with Taekwoon basically ignoring him aside from essential interactions. “Now for the fabric crafts. How are you with your hands?” he asks.

Taekwoon looks down at his hands and shrugs, “You know I play piano, so I’m pretty dexterous.”

“Can you braid?”

That draws a snort from Taekwoon, “I have three older sisters, they taught me young.”

“Great. You’re going to use the rest of those bedsheets from yesterday and make us a fabulous rug to match the curtains while I work on the futon. He drags the pile of fabric over to where Taekwoon waits and gestures towards it. “Choose a few patterns you like and do what I do.” Hakyeon takes a sheet with a chevron pattern on it and turns it so the long side is in front of him. He measures off two inches and makes a mark and does the same thing down the length. Once that’s done, he takes a pair of shears and snips down each line, then proceeds to rip the sheet into strips. “While you work on this, I’m going to make you a guide. It’ll act kind of like a loom, a place where you can knot the ends so they stay together while you braid down, then we’ll connect each side with another long strip, but don’t worry too much about that for now.”

Taekwoon’s eyes are hesitant, but instead of protesting he plops down on the floor and sets to work. Hakyeon makes a quick guide and shows Taekwoon how to feed each strip through and knot it before focusing on his own task.

They work quietly from then on, the only words spoken are Hakyeon asking how much time Taekwoon will need to put together their meal and him replying softly. Jaehwan wanders over to Taekwoon as Hakyeon is finishing up stuffing the futon with as much batting as he can find, readying it for final stitching. Hakyeon eyes Jaehwan as he approached, curious to see if their interactions look different now that he knows their relationship.

“Whoa,” Jaehwan says, eyes wide when he takes in their space. “That tent is huge.”

Taekwoon shrugs and keeps braiding, ignoring the host’s comment.

“We’re interpreting camping a little differently than you may have expected,” Hakyeon calls out drawing Jaehwan’s attention to himself. “We decided to go with gamping, or “glamorous camping” because neither of us likes roughing it very much.” 

“Bugs are gross,” Taekwoon comments quietly while neatly tying one knot and starting on the next section of fabric.

“I for one am anticipating how our judges will react to your interpretation. Looking around, you seem to be the only pair to stray from the traditional sense of the theme, so this will either be great, or devastating for you.”

“Thank you for your expert opinion,” Taekwoon mutters. 

“You are very welcome,” Jaehwan chirps, then flits off towards the next set of contestants to chat with. Hakyeon returns to his stitching. The work is methodical, and before he knows it his futon is made and he is stepping back and checking his mental list of tasks yet to be completed. “You’ve made great progress,” he says to Taekwoon, seeing that he is already halfway done with the braiding. “I really like the patterns you chose and how they contrast with one another.”

“Braiding is easy,” Taekwoon shrugs again. 

Hakyeon opens his mouth to respond, but abandons the thought, returning to his own work instead. They need some sort of easy entertainment for when the electronics inevitably need to be charged and a play off of cosmic bowling had seemed like a great idea during the week. He goes to the storeroom and finds what he needs, ten empty plastic bottles, so he sets about filling each one up, but not too far, and cracking a glowstick before dropping one inside each. He caps the bottles and hot glues them in place to insure they won’t leak. Once he’s done, he finds an empty corner of their space and sets up his newly made pins and snags a bouncy ball from the store room as well. 

“What’s that?” Taekwoon asks once Hakyeon is nearer to him again.

“Glow bowling, that way you can play it in the dark and it serves as a secondary light source.”

Taekwoon hums, starting in on the second to last set of braids he will need to make. “I’m getting close to the end here, can you show me how you want me to connect all of these together?”

Hakyeon shouldn’t feel so relieved at the question, but the fact that Taekwoon is directly asking for help instead of just passively waiting to be told what to do again warms his heart a bit. “Sure, let me just throw this on the cots and make then make the bed, and then I can show you. You should be just about done by then.” He drags the futon over to the cots and muscles it up and into place. After that is done, he digs through the leftover bedding from the previous day and chooses a several pieces, mixing the patterns until he finds an acceptable combination. Finally he returns to Taekwoon. “Okay, now let’s talk about weaving.”

He finds the ribbon they used the previous day to make loops for the back of the curtains and takes a seat next to Taekwoon on the floor. “What we’re going to do is start weaving these together. You’re going to take the ribbon and go over this one, under this one, over, under—you get the idea,” he explains as he works on the first row. Once you get to the end, you’ll just do the opposite, so under, over, under over. Just make sure each row is straight and you’re good to go.”

“This is so tedious,” Taekwoon whines when he takes over. 

Hakyeon grins at him and gives him a placating pat on the top of the head before he can think better of it. “You’ll survive, I promise.” Taekwoon’s hair is soft under his touch and he wants nothing more than to keep petting him like a housecat, but he drags his hand away and returns to his next project of quickly making a side table out of MDF and giving it a quick coat of black paint.

They only have 45 minutes remaining by the time Taekwoon finishes the rug and he and Hakyeon return to the kitchen area to check on their s’mores dip and start to prep the fish. They’re going to use the grill pan, so while Taekwoon gets the heat going, Hakyeon retrieves their ingredients from the refrigerator and lays them all out. He also snags the apron he made for Taekwoon the previous day and holds it out as well. “Okay, Chef, tell me what to do,” he says turning to Taekwoon with a hopeful grin.

“We need four pieces of parchment paper a little over ten centimeters each,” Taekwoon begins pointing at the box near Hakyeon’s right hand and resignedly taking the apron from him and slipping it on. 

Hakyeon lets him tie it himself before he shouts“Yes, Chef!” and starts to pull and cut parchment as instructed. He catches the roll of Taekwoon’s eyes, but is pleased to see the flush creeping up his neck as well. “Are these okay?” he asks fanning out the parchment pieces.

“They’re fine,” Taekwoon replies not even looking back at him since he is busy slicing squash and zucchini into perfect rounds so he misses Hakyeon’s pout at being ignored. “Will you fold the parchment into pockets?” 

Hakyeon does as asked, folding three of the sides over so that there’s space to slide in the food so it can be grilled. He takes the slices of zucchini and squash, seasons them lightly with salt and pepper, then places them in an alternating line inside of the pocket while Taekwoon slices lemon and passes I to him to add as well.

Taekwoon finishes off each pouch with one of the fish he has selected, places a sprig of dill on top and folds it over to seal it. “This will only take maybe 10 minutes since this grill pan is consistent heat, so will you grab the plates so we can have them ready?”

Hakyeon ducks under the table and retrieves the set of melamine dishes he brought for this purpose since they are rugged and less likely to shatter if accidentally dropped. They are a cool gray color. While Taekwoon watches the fish, Hakyeon works on pouring a glass of white wine for each judge to enjoy while tasting their food.

As time winds down, Taekwoon opens each pouch and carefully removes the fish and veggies, taking care to keep the presentation neat. Relieved to see the marshmallows have set up nicely, Hakyeon grabs the small kitchen torch and begins to brulee the top to achieve the toasted effect needed for s’mores.

Jaehwan’s shout of “Time’s up!” has them both backing away, hands in the air. Taekwoon’s nerves are palpable as they await their turn for judging. He’s chewing on his lip and won’t meet Hakyeon’s eyes again, so whatever tension had eased between them seems to have returned with his anxiousness.

“What do we have here?” Heechul asks as the judges finally approach their station.

“Glamping, or ‘glamorous camping,’” Hakyeon informs them with a grin. “If you’ll let us start with our food, we would appreciate it since it needs to be served as close to temperature as possible to maintain taste.”

“Listen to him sounding like he knows what he’s talking about,” Kibum teases drawing laughs from Soljin and Heechul. “Please, tell us more about glamping and your meal.”

“This is a dish of sole, prepared with lemon, squash, zucchini, dill—” Taekwoon starts.

“It’s also paired with a white wine,” Hakyeon finishes for him.

Kibum’s eyebrow lifts as he reaches for a fork and tastes the fish. At the taste, his eyes widen in surprise. “This is actually really good,” he says sounding impressed. “Wine in the woods seems risky,” he says reaching for the glass and letting out a little laugh. “Except this isn’t glass is it?” he asks Hakyeon.

“It’s melamine, much less likely to shatter into a million pieces and stab you,” Hakyeon smiles back.

“Despite myself, I’m impressed. Is that a dessert I also see?”

“I hope it is, I love dessert,” Soljin chimes in.

“It is a dessert,” Hakyeon says sliding the pie tin over while Taekwoon snags the cookies. “It’s a play on an American dessert called s’mores which are toasted marshmallows and chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers. Since grahams are really hard to find here, we decided that Digets would make a good substitute. We also made it into a dip so that you can control how much marshmallow and chocolate go in each bite. So please take a cookie and help yourselves.”

Each judge takes one of the cookies and Soljin eagerly swipes hers through the layer of marshmallow and into the chocolate. She pops it into her mouth and makes a noise of excitement as she starts to chew. “This is so delicious!” she says immediately grabbing another cookie and swiping it through before either of the other judges, or Jaehwan, have a chance to finish their first. 

All three are as delighted as Soljin and chew happily for a few silent minutes.

“I’m sad to leave the food, but we need to see your campsite now,” Jaehwan informs them.

“I present to you _glamping_,” Hakyeon says with a little flourish of his hands as he leads them all to their makeshift campsite.

Their tent stands to one side, open to reveal the elevated bed perfectly made up. Inside, the curtains from the previous day hang on the windows, and the tin lights that they made during the quick craft sit on the side table Hakyeon made earlier. 

Hakyeon explains the glow in the dark bowling game as the judges explore their little campground, complete with cushions surrounding a tissue paper fire and logs.

Heechul drops onto one of the cushions and smiles, “This is my kind of camping. I need creature comforts and you really have supplied most of them.”

Hakyeon grins at Taekwoon, who is busy watching Kibum for his reaction.

“I agree,” Kibum says poking his head out from the tent where he has been wandering around. “This is now what I want every campsite I ever visit to look like.” 

Reluctantly, Jaehwan takes them to the next set of contestants, so both Hakyeon and Taekwoon return to their station and take a cookie to begin helping themselves to the leftovers. “I propose a s’mores toast because I don’t think that judging could have gone better,” Hakyeon says holding out his marshmallow covered cookie towards Taekwoon.

Taekwoon holds his own out and gently bumps them together, a long string of fluff connects them as he pulls his back, but he breaks it quickly and shoves the whole thing into his mouth, cheeks bulging with food as he chews and begins to ready another cookie for consumption.

As they munch, Hakyeon can’t help but watch Taekwoon and his complete and utter focus on the food. He checks to make sure their cameraman isn’t paying too close attention and quickly grabs one of the pens, keeping his other hand occupied with a cookie so he appears to still just be eating.

_I’m sorry about last night. I don’t know why I blew up like that, but I acted like an idiot and I apologize_ he scrawls on the paper between them.

Taekwoon studies the words, then looks at Hakyeon, eyes hard and face blank. He gives him one quick nod, then again snatches the pen and begins to draw over it, this time a cat playing with a yarn ball as the camera man seems to remember himself and tunes back into them. Hakyeon drags the pie tin a little closer to himself on the pretense of easier access, but it really just serves as another layer of protection since it covers the drawing as well. 

When the judges finally ask the contestants to stand before them, Hakyeon and Taekwoon take their places and Hakyeon’s heart is hammering in his chest. He hadn’t clearly heard the judge’s thoughts on any of the other contestants, but he knew that they had seemed to really enjoy the campsite he and Taekwoon presented. He’s trying to hide his nerves, and for the first time he envies how easy it is for Taekwoon to put on that mask of indifference he wears. 

“Contestants,” Jaehwan says addressing them, “This week you all put forth great work, you should be proud of yourselves. Our judges were impressed by the variety and ingenuity offered today. They were a little more impressed with one group above all others though. Congratulations go to Hakyeon and Taekwoon, your glamping has won over our judges this week!”

Hakyeon freezes when Taekwoon fairly throws himself onto him, wrapping him in a hug. Hakyeon hugs back out of instinct, arms coming up to rub at Taekwoon’s back as he presses a smile into the other’s broad shoulder.

“We were really impressed by the luxuries you included in your campsite and the fact that we saw both of you working together since last week we talked about how separate your activities were,” Heechul relays.

“Thank you, we’re very grateful” Hakyeon says with a bow, Taekwoon following suit.

“You live to see another day,” Jaehwan laughs. “You may return to your station.”

Hakyeon grins at Taekwoon, taking hold of his wrist and pulling him back towards their station, his excitement at both winning and Taekwoon hugging him like that have him vibrating with energy. “I am so proud of us, we worked so hard!” he says pulling Taekwoon into another quick hug.

“I’m sorry I didn’t really talk to you much today,” Taekwoon murmurs, the tips of his ears red.

Hakyeon shakes his head, “I deserved the silent treatment today. I am just grateful you still wanted to work with me.”

“It’s fun. More fun than I expected.”

As the bottom two are announced and Minsoo and Wheein get sent home, Hakyeon relishes the fact that things seem to be heading back to normal, possibly even better for them. He is eagerly anticipating the rest of the competition as the remaining contestants are called back to the stage.

“We’re going to switch things up a bit next week and make this next challenge truly design and craft focused. Next week, you will all be creating the ultimate kid’s bedroom! To keep it fair, we are supplying the same bed, white bedding, and a dresser to each team, but you are free to make changes to each of these items during the Final Craft challenge. We look forward to seeing what each of you create,” Jaehwan says.

Hakyeon beams at the words, but he can see Taekwoon pulling back a little. “Everything alright?” he asks.

“I’m going to be dead weight next week,” his partner replies forlornly.

“Don’t say that. You haven’t been dead weight in any of our challenges so far and you will not start now. You follow directions well, so just trust me and we will make an amazing room.”

Taekwoon nods, but still won’t meet his eye. Hakyeon wants to push, but knows that it isn’t quite his place yet and he hates it. Especially with how he acted last night, which stings more when he realizes that he took several steps back in getting Taekwoon to rely on him. As they pack up, he resolves to work on gaining some of that back this week.

“Let’s take the rest of tonight off from thinking about the competition and start fresh tomorrow. Really let that win settle,” Hakyeon says, swaying and knocking Taekwoon slightly with his shoulder as they leave together.

“Yeah, okay,” Taekwoon snorts as they reach the bus stop. 

Hakyeon’s bus comes first and he gives Taekwoon a little wave after he’s seated. He can’t help but turn around and watch the other as he gets smaller the further away the bus gets.


	4. Episode Three: Kids Bedroom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You get a faster update because I was excited about this chapter and finished editing it a little faster than I thought I would. Please enjoy :D

The 6:00 am alarm Hakyeon has set Monday morning jars him out of sleep and has him sitting up, hand blindly reaching for his phone as he blinks into the semi-darkness of his room. He tosses the covers aside and rolls sideways out of bed, landing lightly on his feet and trudging straight to the bathroom to relieve himself and brush his teeth. He changes into track pants and a light t-shirt and grabs his phone, headphones, and keys before setting out on his morning run. 

As his feet hit the pavement, the thoughts of his actions from Saturday night bombard him. He does his best to shake them, speeding up a bit in an effort to distract himself, but all it does is serve to make him out of breath even faster than usual. Sure Taekwoon had eventually forgiven him, but he knows that he overreacted and he needs to apologize better than slipping Taekwoon a note. Taekwoon’s look of confused hurt as he walked out of the restaurant flashes across his mind and he groans, turns the volume up on his headphones and makes another loop around the neighborhood, extending his run, and toture, for another few minutes. 

He’s panting heavily, sweat dripping into his eyes by the time he makes it back to his apartment and kicks his shoes off haphazardly as he slinks into the room. He pulls his yoga mat out from the corner and rolls it out, laying down until his breathing evens once again. He goes through his usual morning routine, starting with a few spine loosening movements before moving into a downward dog followed by a sun salutation. This helps to ground him and focusing his breathing and channel his energy into making sure his movements are precise, that his balance is secure. The stretch of his muscles is welcome after the run and he ends with a tree pose.

Once he’s showered and seated at his table with a cup of tea and an egg in the hole, he resolves to make things right between himself and Taekwoon. He grabs his phone and contemplates for longer than he usually would before he fires off a text.

Sorry again for being an idiot on Saturday. I know you said it was okay, but my behavior was not and I’m sorry that I acted childishly.

_Thank you for your apology._

So, next task is kid’s bedrooms. I would have killed for an astronaut bedroom when I was little. What about you?

_Dinosaurs_

Hakyeon’s face lights up at the words.

Dinosaurs would be fun. I have seen a few different ideas using the big bucket of plastic dinosaurs you can get for pretty cheap too.

_Don’t just use my idea because you still feel bad_

Hakyeon scowls at his phone. 

I also loved dinosaurs when I was little. Now stop arguing and start thinking of your dream room. We can scale back if needed, but right now everything goes

_I’ll get back to you after my meeting_

Got it. Taekwoon fighting!

He grabs his notebook and flips to a fresh page to start listing down his own ideas while he waits for Taekwoon to respond. He adds two accent walls, one filled with trees and another with rocks, to the list then framed prints of different dinosaurs. He has to leave it for now though because he needs to get to work filming a video so he can post it to his channel and keep on schedule. So he sets the notebook aside and quickly washes his breakfast dishes before grabbing his filming equipment.

He sets up the floor of his living room because he knows he is going to need the space to maneuver and decides he is going to film the intro as well as add in a voice over later as he edits. 

“Today we’re going to make a stylish and affordable rug for your space. We’ll use the hand crocheting method so there are no special tools you’ll need other than your own hands and some super chunky yarn in colors of your choice. I am using eight skeins of a self-variegating color called ‘grayed out.’ We’re going to make this using four strands of yarn at once so that it works up quickly and fills out. We’re also using run of the mill super chunky yarn because the premium stuff can get pricey and we want to make it look like we spent a lot, not actually do that,” he laughs as he lays the strands out. “First, take hold of all four strands and start with a basic slip stitch, like you would in regular crochet.” 

He explains the process of making a chain, then working into the chain to establish the first round of the rug and marking it so you don’t lose it in the stitches. It’s a soothing process, much like the yoga was, and helps to keep his mind calm as he works rhythmically, leaving the camera running and turning on the television for some background noise until he needs to add his next skeins of yarn. He mutes the TV and narrates the process, explaining what he is doing until the change of yarn is hidden in the stitches and it looks seamless once again. A while later he has a completed rug for his kitchen that accents his dish towels perfectly. He sets up his bluetooth tripod so he can get a few shots of him standing on the rug and insert those into the final edit. 

While he breaks for lunch, he chooses one of the photos and sends it to Taekwoon.

Don’t worry about responding, but I want you to know I’ve been working hard today

_Doing what? Dishes?_

You’re out of your meeting! And no not dishes. I made that rug isn’t it cute?

_Sure_

Hakyeon stares down at his phone, “sure?” he asks taking his leftovers out of the refrigerator and setting them in the microwave. “Sure? That rug deserves more than a sure,” he grumbles as he waits. _Maybe I’m bothering him_ he reasons when he finally sits down to eat. He decides to wait until Taekwoon texts him again instead of sending another asking about it.

After lunch he calls his current client and chats with her about what is left to be done. She wants a revamp of her entryway, living room, and bathroom, which will be more than manageable in the two weeks he has left in the timeline he gave her initially. He ends the call feeling excited about the possibility of maximizing the space she already has and loves.

By the time he looks down at his phone again, he sees four new texts from Taekwoon.

_Out of one and on my way to another._

_Sorry, work is hell today._

_Some shelves or something where we could put the dinosaurs on display when the kid isn’t using them would be cool._

_Oh, and a nightlight. I wasn’t great with the dark when I was small._

Hakyeon coos at the image of a tiny Taekwoon scared of the dark. He’s sure the other would murder him if he knew, but he holds onto the image, endeared by the confession.

Me neither. Ghost stories still freak me out

he confides in response.

Dinosaur plan in place, Hakyeon feels like it was a successful Monday.

Wednesday morning after his run and yoga session, Hakyeon decides to text Wonshik.

Do you and Bean want some company for lunch today?

_don’t u evr work?_ Wonshik shoots back.

Listen, heathen, yes I work. Why is everyone doubting that? Lunch, yes or no?

_bean says whatever, so I guess it’s okay. bring something good._

Hakyeon huffs, but smiles despite it. He knows that it’s all for show, that both Wonshik and Hongbin enjoy his presence, but it always smarts a little when they tease him so much. 

I’ll have jjajangmyeon delivered, is that okay?

_bean is now swearing his unwavering devotion to you. don’t forget to get extra danmuji._

Hakyeon lets out a long sigh, but settles down on his couch to start editing the hand crocheting video he filmed earlier in the week. He listens back to the beginning of it, trying to decide if he is going to voice over the whole thing, or just the sped up parts. In the end he decides to just re-do all of the audio so it is consistent. He makes a note, then speeds up the first three rows of the rug, slowing down each time he starts one and moves his stitch marker so that his viewers can get a feel for it. When he reaches the point where has to make a yarn change he makes another note, then speeds up the video again until he reaches the finish. He makes a note of the time and the points he wants to make sure to cover and reinforce when he records his voice over later. Lastly he splices in the video and pictures he took of his final product in the kitchen. So far it is holding up well, the only thing he wants to note is that it moves easily on the slick floor, so he needs to add some hot glue. He makes a note to do just that and film it so he can tip his viewers off about it before it goes live.

By the time he wraps up editing, it is already time to head to the studio for lunch with two of his favorite people. He calls in their order as he waits for the bus, slipping into a seat to wait out the journey.

He steps in to the offices and through reception easily, greeting the staff and signing in quickly. While he waits for the elevator, their lunch delivery arrives so he takes it and brings it up with him. Making his way to Wonshik’s office is easy now with how many times he has come to visit. They make it easier for him to find them, waiting in the empty conference room as promised.

“My children!” he cries out when he sees them, arms weighted down with the bowls of food.

“Food!” they cry out in unison.

Hakyeon has half a mind to turn around and keep all three meals for himself, but they would likely chase him down and steal the food anyway. He huffs out an annoyed sound and sets the bowls down, keeping them out of reach for the time being. “Yah, greet me properly,” he demands, eyes narrowed.

“Oh Hyung, my favorite person ever, it is so good to see you,” Wonshik replies flatly. 

“Good enough,” Hakyeon shrugs and slides him a bowl. He stares at Hongbin expectantly.

“Hi, Hyung,” Hongbin replies, cheeks dimpling with a smile.

Hakyeon sighs, but slides him a bowl as well.

“Hey, why did he get food?” Wonshik asks, snapping apart his chopsticks and rubbing them together to get any splinters off. “My greeting was obviously better.”

“Which is why you get the extra radish,” Hakyeon soothes sliding the side dish over to him. “Now, who is going to go grab us some drinks?”

Hongbin, as the youngest, is forced to visit the vending machine. He returns with two cans of cola and a bottle of flavored water which he wrinkles his nose at as he hands it to Hakyeon. “Your tastes are weird.”

Hakyeon hums, twisting the cap and taking a deep drink. “My tastes are delicious.” 

They chat idly as they eat, mostly about how the show is being received by audiences and if the possibility of a second season has been proposed by the network yet.

“Don’t jinx it,” Wonshik hisses throwing a look over his shoulder as if a network executive would be behind him listening in.

Hakyeon pats his arm. 

“The first week’s ratings were really good,” Wonshik says, slurping noodles into his mouth. He waits until he chews to finish, “most viewers have chosen their favorite teams and are getting invested in seeing them through to the end, but you know that as part of team TaekYeon.”

“SNS is very helpful,” Hongbin supplies at Hakyeon’s annoyed look.

“We’ll see how ratings and reactions are after tonight’s episode airs,” Wonshik adds as he finishes his lunch, “I know the TaekYeon nation will approve of the results.”

“Can we stop using the word TaekYeon, please?” Hakyeon asks, fingers coming up to smooth down his sideburns.

“Aww, he’s embarrassed,” Hongbin laughs.

“Isn’t it cute? He keeps denying it, but there has to be something between him and Taekwoon,” Wonshik grins leaning back in his chair. “I’m for it, as long as it doesn’t fuck up filming.”

“It nearly did Sunday though, what happened between you two?” Hongbin asks sobering up.

“Oh, you noticed that?” Hakyeon asks scraping his chopsticks against his bowl in a facsimile of getting the last bite.

“Yeah, I assumed it had something to do with that text you sent me Saturday, but please don’t fuck up my show,” Wonshik replies.

“I had…a moment,” Hakyeon says giving up his pretense and looking at the younger. “I acted like an idiot and apologized, and Taekwoon accepted, but I was still an idiot.”

“No more details than that?” Hongbin asks.

“You don’t need any,” Hakyeon returns.

“I think we hit a nerve,” Hongbin stage whispers to Wonshik, who is grinning at the furious look on Hakyeon’s face. 

“You’re about to get hit,” Hakyeon says standing and gathering his trash. He snatches the other bowls as well and angrily stacks them then looks to Wonshik, “Where is your recycling?”

Wonshik points him toward the break room, only just barely containing his smile.

Hakyeon seethes as he sorts the trash and returns, hoping to move on to a different topic. “We need to talk about something other than work,” he says plopping back down into a chair.

“Like your love life? That’s separate from work, right?” Wonshik proposes innocently.

Hakyeon rises silently, smacks Wonshik on the back of the head, then sits back down. He closes his eyes, takes a deep, steadying breath. _I will not kill my friends today_ he thinks to himself. The rest of their time is spent chatting about Wonshik’s latest song he is working on and how he keeps trying to talk Hongbin into singing on it.

“I’m no match for Jaehwan,” Hongbin protests.

“You don’t have to be,” Wonshik dismisses.

Hakyeon nods, agreeing with him.

“I’m not singing,” Hongbin says with finality. He shoves away from the table and heads back to his desk with a “Bye, Hyung,” thrown over his shoulder at Hakyeon.

“Give me a week, two tops, and I’ll have him convinced,” Wonshik says to Hakyeon as he walks him back toward the elevator bay.

Thursday Hakyeon is working on reupholstering a chair with a sunny yellow fabric at his client’s house when a notification from Taekwoon comes through. He sets the staple gun he’s been using aside and sits back on his heels to read the text.

_Which dinosaurs were carnivores? Which one will eat me?_

Rough day?

_Sanghyuk found a picture of me in the cat ears from the first episode and he printed out a ton of them and they’re everywhere. He keeps meowing when he sees me_

An image of at least ten pictures with the corners ripped off pops up on Hakyeon’s screen. His eyes widen and he barks out a laugh at the annoyed face Taekwoon in cat ears is making in the photo in question as Hakyeon beams next to him.

That is unfortunate. Can he send me a copy?

_I’m throwing this week so we get kicked off and I never have to see you again_

Taekwoon’s reply is swift and Hakyeon grins down at his phone. 

I was teasing. Let me help distract you tonight?

He hits send, then re-reads the message, internally panicking at the way it reads.

Movie night at your place? We can watch Jurassic World and get inspiration?

It takes a concerningly long time for Taekwoon to reply, but when he does, relief floods Hakyeon’s system.

_You’re inviting yourself over now?_

I just thought it would be easier for you

He worries again as Taekwoon takes a few minutes to respond, but finally a message comes through.

_I’ll text you when I’m heading home_

Hakyeon sags in relief. While he is definitely interested in something with Taekwoon, he doesn’t want to be as greasy as that message sounded. He’d like to believe he is classier than that. 

I’ll pick up some snacks

After sending the message, he returns to finishing the chair so that it contrasts nicely with the dark charcoal of the couch. He’s proud of the subtle changes he’s made to the living room and that he’s saving his client money by repurposing a lot of her existing furniture instead of going out to buy new. The last thing on his list for this room is to build a simple storage bench with a cushion on top in matching fabric to the chair. Satisfied with the progress he’s made that day, he packs up his things and heads out. 

An idea strikes him as he steps outside, and instead of turning left, he goes right, heading to the small garden center he knows is a few blocks away. He is a frequent customer, easily navigating the aisles and landing upon the succulent section. He can’t show up at Taekwoon’s place with only snacks, he needs an “I’m sorry I was an idiot” present and knows that these particular species are resilient and forgiving. He trails his fingers over the leaves as he walks. He doesn’t know how much light Taekwoon’s apartment gets, and he knows he has a cat, so that narrows down his prospects considerably. He finally decides on a bird’s nest fern, because it’s easy to care for and he doesn’t want to set Taekwoon up for failure just in case.

On his way home he grabs some essential movie night snacks: popcorn, honey butter chips, and several choco pies. The walk home is a little weird with one arm wrapped around the potted fern and the other swinging a bag of snacks, but Hakyeon is excited about the prospect of spending some time with Taekwoon when the only obligation they have is watching a movie instead of testing out a creation. He’s eager to see how the other acts when there’s no real plan to follow.

The bus ride to Taekwoon’s apartment is weirder than the walk home was since he keeps having to apologize to the woman next to him for the leaves of the fern hitting her arm. He’s relieved when he finally gets off the bus and walks up the short hill to Taekwoon’s apartment. He finds it easily and makes quick work of the stairs, knocking on the door and swaying slightly, waiting for Taekwoon to open it. 

“Why do you have a plant?” Taekwoon asks after the door opens. He steps aside to let Hakyeon in, shutting it behind him and taking it to study. 

“It’s a fern” Hakyeon explains. “It’s an ‘I was an idiot and I’m sorry” present _and_it fits with our theme because ferns have been around since the dinosaurs, so it is timely.”

“You bought me a fern? Is it a love fern?”

Hakyeon splutters, eyes going wide and hands coming up to flail in protest as Taekwoon starts laughing.

“I’m kidding, come inside and relax.”

Hakyeon slumps a bit, toeing off his shoes and following Taekwoon in. Playful Taekwoon is a whole new obstacle to contend with.

Taekwoon’s place is very, simple in Hakyeon’s opinion. The couch is black and faces a nearly blank wall, the only thing on it is a small entertainment center with a huge television. There’s a low coffee table and a side table on which a couple of pictures sit. There’s nothing on the walls except for a calendar. A large cat tree sits in one corner near the only window in the room, a keyboard along another.

“Like I said before, my mom would beg you to help me here,” Taekwoon says, averting his eyes and still holding the fern.

“It’s not bad,” Hakyeon shrugs taking the plant from him. He sets it down on the table and steals a glance at the photos, “Is this Minyul?” he asks, pointing to one of Taekwoon cuddled up to a newborn.

“Yeah, when he was only a few hours old.”

The smile on Taekwoon’s face has Hakyeon smiling himself. “I’d love to meet him sometime.” Slight movement from the corner of his eye has Hakyeon turning to look towards the short hallway where a small gray face pokes around the corner, staring at him warily. “Is that Mochi?”

“Yeah, she can be shy, but if you give it time she’ll warm up. It usually takes a few visits though,” Taekwoon replies wringing his hands. 

Hakyeon takes another look around, this time wandering over to the keyboard. He runs his fingers over the plastic keys and turns to Taekwoon, “Your place really is nice. It’s kind of…sparse, but I like it. It fits you.”

Taekwoon ducks his head, mumbling a thanks before gesturing vaguely to the couch, “Should we start the movie before it gets too late?”

Hakyeon nods and follows Taekwoon to the couch. Hakyeon dumps the bag of snacks unceremoniously on the table and plops down, looking to Taekwoon expectantly.

Taekwoon stares back, “Where’s the movie?” 

Hakyeon blinks back at him, “Was I supposed to get that too?”

“Your plan was a movie night, so I thought you would be providing the movie along with snacks.”

Hakyeon’s mouth falls open. This is completely his fault. He knows it. “I really am an idiot. Is it on Netflix? If we need to I’ll rent it,” he says, hand coming up to cover his face in shame.

Taekwoon starts laughing, grabbing his remote and pulling up the Netflix menu to search for the movie, “I can’t believe you invited yourself over for a movie night without bringing a movie. Do you know how weird that sounds?”

“I brought snacks!” Hakyeon protests, face flaming when he realizes the implications, _yet again_, of his words.

Taekwoon luckily finds the movie, so Hakyeon is saved from further embarrassment. He grabs a bag of chips and decides to eat away some of his sorrows while Taekwoon settles in on the opposite side of the couch. 

It’s thirty minutes into the movie when a sudden movement has Hakyeon turning to Taekwoon to see Mochi standing on the arm of the couch nuzzling against his shoulder and begging for attention. Taekwoon obliges her, bending his arm so he can scritch her behind the ears while he continues to eat popcorn with the other hand. Hakyeon smiles at the sight, then turns his attention back to the screen. 

A few minutes later the back of the couch dips near his head and he holds still, which takes effort, as a small nose sniffs curiously at his right ear. He holds perfectly still when she decides to step her front paws onto his shoulder, her weight a little uncomfortable, but welcome. He reaches a tentative hand up, letting her smell his fingers before he chances petting her, running his hand down her back. “I thought you said she’s shy,” he asks Taekwoon.

“She is. This is weird. You’re weird,” Taekwoon returns.

“You’re weird,” Hakyeon quips as Mochi hops down next to him, then steps onto his lap before curling into a ball. “Like owner, like cat though,” Hakyeon says. He pets her idly, tracing over the lines of her ears and drawing patterns in her fur as the movie plays on.

He and Taekwoon chat idly as the rest of the movie passes. Hakyeon is very aware that this is a thinly veiled excuse for them to hang out and for Taekwoon to get some much needed distractions from his current work life, but he’s soaking it in, feeling Taekwoon grow more comfortable with him as he hands him snacks Hakyeon is unable to get himself because of the snoozing cat on his lap. 

When the credits roll, he sends Taekwoon a pathetic look, “Your cat is still asleep on me and I don’t want to make her mad at me by moving.”

“I’ve been there,” Taekwoon sympathizes. “Just stand up, she’ll be fine.”

“She likes me, I’m not going to jeopardize that by waking her up.”

Taekwoon stands and rolls his eyes, but shuffles over to Hakyeon and leans down, and subsequently into Hakyeon’s space, to scoop up his cat. He lingers for just a second too long and Hakyeon wants to reach out, but stops himself. He stands, clears his throat and instead starts scraping the various wrappers they have accumulated back into the bag. 

“Just leave it,” Taekwoon says laughing as Mochi twists out of his grip and walks over to the cat tree.

Hakyeon nods. He should head towards the door, let Taekwoon get to bed, but he can’t make himself move.

“Get any good ideas?”

Hakyeon blinks back at him, suddenly afraid Taekwoon can read his mind.

“From the movie?” Taekwoon adds, eyes narrowing.

“Oh, yeah. We can do a feature wall with the foliage, maybe have a little zoo area or something?” he shrugs, then does start moving towards the door if only to end this conversation.

“I can walk you down—”

“No, it’s fine,” Hakyeon cuts him off. “Thank you for indulging me on a work night and sorry again for being stupid on Saturday and then invading your home.”

“We liked having you,” Taekwoon replies softly, eyes trained somewhere near Hakyeon’s shoes.

Hakyeon smiles softly, “Then let’s do it again sometime.”

“After the presentation next week,” Taekwoon groans.

“Absolutely. Have a good night,” Hakyeon leans in for a hug and is surprised when Taekwoon returns it. The relief at being forgiven and feeling closer than ever to Taekwoon has him grinning as he waves goodbye and makes his way to the bus.

On his way to filming Saturday, Hakyeon stops at his favorite cafe and orders a strawberry frappe, an iced vanilla latte, and two blueberry muffins to go. His drink is half gone by the time he gets to the studio, but he finds Taekwoon in a makeup chair with the stylist fussing over the dark circles under his eyes.

“You should sleep more,” he says holding the latte out. “And yes, I realize the irony of handing you coffee and telling you to sleep.”

Taekwoon snorts, taking the coffee gratefully. “Sleep will have to wait. Between work, the song, and my sister, it will be a while before I sleep well again.”

Hakyeon’s eyes widen and the stylist stops dabbing concealer on his skin, “What’s wrong with your sister? Is the baby okay?”

“She’s fine, they’re both fine,” Taekwoon assures him. “It’s just on my mind since she is due soon,”he explains.

Hakyeon nods and drops into the seat next to him as usual. He opens the bag and pulls out a muffin before offering the other to Taekwoon, “Eat your feelings, it always helps me.”

They snack happily while the stylist finishes up their makeup for the episode and they have to go to the studio for filming.

“We should dress more on theme,” Hakyeon says as they make their way to their station.

“How do you dress for dinosaurs? I think those inflatable T-Rex suits would be hard to work in,” Taekwoon replies, nose wrinkling at the idea.

Hakyeon reaches out and smacks him lightly, “We could have worn khaki shorts and vests, you know, like Chris Pratt’s character did in the movie?”

“I don’t own khaki.”

“That does not surprise me.”

Their attention is diverted to Jaehwan and Wonshik who are chatting as they make their way onto the set.

“Good morning, contestants, how are you feeling today?” Wonshik rumbles.

“They’re all great, how else could they be?” Jaehwan quips in response, wide grin blinding.

“We’re going to start soon, so if you will all take your mark, we can get going,” Wonshik continues, ignoring him.

Hakyeon glances into the room area, seeing the same basic furniture that the production had promised assembled in each room.

“We didn’t want you all spending the entire four hours assembling IKEA furniture, so they made us do it,” Hongbin stage whispers as he passes.

Hakyeon snorts.

“Everyone ready?” Wonshik asks.

At their affirmative nods he gives the cue to start filming.

“Welcome back to week three of Craft It! Last week our contestants were taxed with designing the ultimate children’s bedroom and we are eager to see what they have come up with. To remind you, we provided a basic bedroom suit to each team, but what they do with that base is all up to interpretation,” Jaehwan starts. “As usual we are going to begin with our Quick Craft challenge to win a ten minute time advantage in tomorrow’s Final Craft. This week, you are going to make something functional, yet fun.”

From the corner of his eye, Hakyeon can see Taekwoon’s brow furrow. He turns to the other, “I have the perfect idea for this, just go straight back to our station for now,” he whispers when Jaehwan finishes.

Taekwoon nods, and as instructed as soon as Jaehwan releases them books it back to their station. 

As soon as he returns, Hakyeon reaches for his bag under the table and immediately finds what he is looking for. “I found these on clearance yesterday,” he says brandishing a large plastic tub. “It was perfect.”

He opens the top and dumps out the bucket and plastic dinosaurs of varying sizes go everywhere.

“Oh my god,” Taekwoon laughs reaching for a miniscule triceratops. 

“Yep. So I am thinking there is nothing more fun or functional than a hook made out of dinos. I’m going to go grab a plank of wood while you find as many of the larger ones as you can.” 

Taekwoon immediately turns his attention to the toys and begins to sort them.

Hakyeon runs off to the craft closet to find what he needs. Within seconds he spots a placard that needs less work than just a regular plank of wood might and he snags it. 

By the time he returns to their station, Taekwoon has a stegosaurus, a brontosaurus, a velociraptor, and a tyrannosaurus rex all lined up. “I could only find four of the big ones,” Taekwoon says.

“That’s fine, we can work with that. What we need to do is cut them in half and then secure them to this board,” he says setting it down on the table. He goes to their tools and finds a handsaw.

“Fifteen minutes!” Jaehwan calls very near to Hakyeon’s ear and he startles, rounding on him.

“You should probably not scream at me while I’m holding a potential weapon,” he says sweetly as he lays the saw next to the placard. 

“You wouldn’t murder me with so many witnesses around,” Jaehwan shrugs then flits off to bother another set of contestants.

Hakyeon takes hold of the brontosaurus, deciding that he will be the test subject. He grabs a Sharpie and marks what looks like about halfway down the toy’s body before laying it down on the workbench and taking hold of the saw once more. 

“I’m sorry about this,” he mutters before he brings the saw down and starts cutting it apart. The dinosaur is hollow inside, so super glue will be their best bet for securing it to the wood. “While I finish this, can you find some super glue?” he asks Taekwoon reaching for the velociraptor next. “Heads or tails?” he asks after he is finished and Taekwoon stares at him in confusion. “Do we hang their heads or their tails?” Hakyeon asks gesturing to the maimed toys laid out in front of them.

“Uh, tails?” Taekwoon asks.

“I was hoping you would say that,” Hakyeon grins and sets the upper bodies of the dinosaurs aside. They arrange the dinos, making sure to leave five centimeters between each so their spacing is equal. “We’re not actually going to be able to hang anything on these until the glue is finished curing tomorrow, so the judges will have to use their imaginations,” Hakyeon says as they mark where each toy will sit.

“We probably won’t win then, but we don’t need it,” Taekwoon shrugs.

“They grow up so fast,” Hakyeon grins miming wiping a tear from his eye.

“I hope you glue your hand to your face,” Taekwoon returns.

They both startle as their designated camera man snorts at the response and turn to give him a surprised look. He’s gotten better at blending in than he had before, so the quick reminder that they are always under scrutiny is jarring for both of them. 

With five minutes left they are gluing and sticking the hind quarters of the toys onto the board and Hakyeon can’t help but smile at the image it makes. It looks ridiculous and something any kid is sure to love. 

“Crafters, thirty seconds remain so finish up your work please!” Jaehwan shouts moving again to the front of the studio. From the side, Kibum, Soljin and Heechul appear, flanking him.

“We’re going to have to keep it laying down, I don’t want them to shift since they’re not fully dry yet,” Hakyeon says as time runs out.

When the judges finally get to them, both he and Taekwoon straighten up.

“What’s this?” Heechul asks reaching out towards the placard.

“Not quite dry yet,” Hakyeon says with a smile as he slides it just out of reach. “It’s a hook system made from repurposed plastic dinosaurs,” he grins tilting it up so they can see. “Once it’s fully cured you can hang lightweight things on it, like jackets, so it is both fun and functional.”

“Why dinosaurs?” Soljin asks, addressing the question to Taekwoon.

“Our room will be dinosaur themed,” Taekwoon responds.

“It doesn’t look…polished,” Kibum says seeming to hesitate as he searches for the right word.

“We also wish that we could have painted the placard so it looks a little nicer, but with only twenty minutes you have to pick your battles,” Hakyeon grins.

“Point,” Kibum smiles back. 

“Alright, thank you judges, now lets see what else we have.”

As Taekwoon predicted, they don’t win the Quick Craft, losing out to a stepping stool camouflaged as a rock to fit inside a fairy garden. In the downtime while they set up for the upcycle challenge, Hakyeon starts doodling on their craft paper and Taekwoon joins him. He has another small garden started, because flowers are fun to draw when he looks over to see Taekwoon has drawn a triangular creature holding something in its mouth. He wrinkles his brow, thinking deeply before realizing, “Is that a tyrannosaurus?” he asks on a laugh.

“Yeah,” Taekwoon replies coloring, what he can now see, is a stick person’s face, “And it’s eating you.”

Hakyeon gasps, but before he can retaliate Hongbin has them coming to the front again for the upcycle challenge. There are several tarps this time, concealing several different objects of varying shapes and sizes. His interest is piqued. 

“Our upcycle challenge this week is something a little different than what we have presented you with before,” Jaehwan begins. “Your task this week is to take these items that have been graciously donated by community members and turn them into items that can be used as functional storage.”

The tarps come off of the objects, and Hakyeon wants to laugh. There is a night stand, an old crib, a chest of drawers, a bookshelf, and a wardrobe. “These are all basically storage,” he says to Taekwoon.

“A crib isn’t storage,” Taekwoon counters.

“It’s where you store your baby, isn’t it?”

Taekwoon doesn’t have an answer for that. 

“Each team will be given a sticky note, and when I say go, you will be free to go and tag your item. Once a sticky note has been placed on an item the note cannot be removed. We will move the pieces back to your stations and the time will start after that,” Jaehwan explains as he hands each contestant a differently colored sticky note. 

Hakyeon passes their gold note to Taekwoon and grins at him, “We’re going for the wardrobe, okay?”

“Why am I always the one who has to run or choose?” Taekwoon whines, but readies himself anyway.

“Because you’re an athlete,” Hakyeon shrugs.

At Jaehwan’s shout, Taekwoon surges forward and gets his note stuck to the side of the wardrobe. When he returns, Hakyeon throws his arms around him in a hug which Taekwoon returns.

After all of the pieces have been chosen, the contestants get a few minutes extra to brainstorm while they are moved to their respective stations. 

“Remember how I mentioned making a zoo the other night?”

Taekwoon nods, listening.

“We’re going to pull the door off of the side that opens and run bungee cords from top to bottom. On the other side we’re going to turn the drawers into bookshelves, so that it is multi-functional.”

Taekwoon gapes at him, “You’re really good at your job, aren’t you?” he asks.

Hakyeon laughs brightly at the praise, “I get by.”

When time starts again, Hakyeon runs to the craft closet for bungee cords while Taekwoon unscrews the hinges from the door and pulls the drawers out. They lay the wardrobe on its side so it will be easier to drill the holes that will hold the cords in place

“I wish we had time to paint it,” Hakyeon sighs as he begins to measure and mark the placement for the future holes.

“Same issue as before, Taekwoon replies. “Can we use some of the rest of the dinosaurs to make bookends?” he asks.

Hakyeon stills and turns to him, “Taekwoonie, you are brilliant. Yes, that is the perfect use of some of them. Do you know what you need?” he asks finishing of the markings.

“I was thinking maybe I could use a couple of those wood things you used for the hooks? That way it looks consistent?”

Hakyeon beams at him. “Go grab them. May I suggest getting some spray paint to make it look a little fancier? That may have time to dry.”

Taekwoon nods and disappears. 

Hakyeon starts drilling the holes, wiping sawdust off of his hands between each. Next, he works on stringing the bungee cord through and knotting it so that it stays in place and won’t snap off and potentially harm anyone. It takes a little longer than he anticipated with having to cut and tie each cord, so he is glad for Taekwoon taking charge of the bookends. He walks the unit back to an upright position so he can finally get started on the shelves.

While Taekwoon sprays the bookends a shiny gold, Hakyeon begins cutting down wood into inserts he can stick in to form a base over the openings the drawers previously sat in. He is relieved that it goes fairly quickly with them all being a uniform size. The last thing he does is add small brackets underneath each shelf to reinforce them and make sure they won’t fall to one side or the other if the weight distribution is off.

Time is winding down, and while the bookends are still not fully dry, they have to set them on the shelves anyway if they want a semblance of a finished product. With fifteen seconds remaining, they both step back and admire their handiwork. 

“If that was in my room, I wouldn’t want to leave,” Hakyeon says.

The judges agree. “This is incredible,” Soljin says twanging one of the bungee cords. “I had so many plushies as a kid and this would have been the perfect place to store them. When they weren’t on my bed that is,” she adds with a smile.

“Are these dinosaur awards? Best Stegosaurus?” Kibum asks pointing at the shelves.

“They’re bookends,” Hakyeon corrects after he sees Taekwoon deflate at the comment. “Taekwoon designed and made them. They match the hanger from earlier. Or they will tomorrow after we paint it.”

“That’s smart. I love that you continue to make things that can be incorporated into your rooms. You know how to play the game,” Heechul says nodding approvingly.

“Thank you, we’re trying to win,” Hakyeon smiles back, eyes shining.

“You’ve already made yourselves awards,” Kibum quips as they judges walk away.

“Do you think that went okay?” Taekwoon asks once the judges have left them.

“Better than okay,” Hakyeon counters. “They were impressed. Remember, Kibum is just playing up his role,” he murmurs on the pretense of returning the drill to its place on the wall behind them. “Are we going to continue the Saturday dinner and planning tradition?” he asks after he is done.

“Barbecue sounds so good,” Taekwoon replies wistfully. 

“Great, it’s settled then.”

The silence between them is more comfortable as they walk the few blocks to the restaurant. They once again take up their usual routine after they’re seated and Hakyeon pulls out his notebook, starting a list of projects they know they will need to complete.

“Bedding, walls, the night light, various accessories so that it looks styled and complete,” he lists off as he writes.

“I wish we could cook something,” Taekwoon pouts.

“You can always cook for me,” Hakyeon suggests.

“You know what I mean,” Taekwoon replies, ears tinged pink as he tries to deflect.

“That I have an open invitation to invade your home? Your cat loves me now,” he continues.

“You’re impossible,” Taekwoon huffs, flush now spreading to his neck and cheeks.

Hakyeon grins at him, but stops his teasing because he doesn’t want to fluster the other too much when he isn’t sure where the line is. Taekwoon is easy to read in some aspects, but others…he’s still getting a feel for. “What kind of room did you have when you were younger?” he asks steering the conversation towards safer ground.

“Kind of boring really, since I’m the youngest My parents were too busy chasing all of us around to decorate much. Gray walls, lots of sports posters everywhere, and usually messy,” Taekwoon replies.

“You were probably outside a lot, right?”Hakyeon prods to keep him talking.

“Mm, soccer tournaments took up a lot of weekends and after school time. I was on the Youth National Team even,” Taekwoon says casually as he pulls the first batch of meat off the grill and starts dividing it. “I did some other stuff too, taekwondo, boxing.”

“I’m impressed,” Hakyeon says looking at the quiet man in front of him in a slightly new light. “You really are competitive, aren’t you? Why are you not some famous athlete now?”

“Injury,” Taekwoon replies with a wave of his hand, “Then I fell in love with music and songwriting doesn’t pay the bills, so now I’m an accountant.”

“Yet,” Hakyeon replies.

Taekwoon gives him a bewildered look in return.

“Music doesn’t pay the bills yet,” he amends.

“You’ve never heard anything I’ve written,” Taekwoon protests, “You’re just saying what you think I want to hear.”

“That’s not true. I may have only just met you, but I’ve seen the type of person you are. I’m sure your stuff is amazing and if you ever decide to let me listen to it that will only confirm it.”

Taekwoon huffs, then narrows his eyes, “What about you? What was your room like as a kid?”

“White walls, very neat. I’m also the youngest but my siblings are all much older than I am, so it was almost like I was an only child. I was always pretty artistic, obviously,” he grins then takes a bite of food. “I was into dance, so instead of taekwondo or soccer, my parents were always at dance recitals or running me from one class to the next,” Hakyeon remembers fondly. “Like you, I chose the practical option of interior design, but I still love to dance.”

“That’s why you’re so graceful,” Taekwoon murmurs.

Hakyeon barely hears him over the din of the restaurant and is taken aback by the words, “I’m sorry?” he asks, wanting to make sure he heard the other correctly.

“Nothing,” Taekwoon says.

He still won’t admit it later, even after Hakyeon keeps prodding., so eventually Hakyeon drops it and they finish their dinner, continuing to exchange stories from their childhoods.

Once they have paid, they loiter for a few more minutes outside of the restaurant. “This was a better end to the evening than last week,” Hakyeon says, smile wry.

“Definitely. And You know you can stop bringing it up now, right? I’m over it. You bought me an apology fern and everything,” Taekwoon responds.

Hakyeon laughs, “Thank you again for forgiving me. And for not throwing the competition so we get kicked off this week.”

“There’s still time for that,” Taekwoon finishes. “I was swamped, so I forgot to text you, but Friday Sanghyuk showed up with apron photos. I’m glad you decided not to try and dress me up this week.”

“Yet,” Hakyeon grins echoing his words from earlier. “I haven’t dressed you up yet.”

Taekwoon’s spluttering reply is all Hakyeon needs before he bids him a quick goodnight and hurries off to catch his bus. 

He gets off two stops early and slips into his usual craft store twenty minutes before closing. He knows exactly what he needs though, so ten minutes later he is checking out and heading home with the intention of making sure he delivers on his promise of dressing Taekwoon up each week.

Sunday morning Hakyeon arrives to the studio first, another strawberry frappe in hand because he is worth the cost. He sets his things down and drops into the makeup chair and smiles when Hongbin comes into the room. “Binnie, how are you this morning?”

“Better now that I didn’t have to be at the studio at 6:00 am to start assembling IKEA furniture.

Hakyeon winces, “The joys of being an intern?”

“What joy? Wonshik just likes to boss me around because he knows literally everyone and moved up the ladder way faster than he should have and now holds a weird power over me.”

“Tell me how you really feel,” Hakyeon laughs and holds out his drink, “I’ll give you a drink if it’ll make you feel better?” he asks.

Hongbin cringes away, but takes the drink and tastes it. He takes another pull before finally handing it back to Hakyeon.

“Feel better?” Hakyeon asks sipping his drink again.

“No,” Hongbin replies before walking away.

Hakyeon lounges, playing on his phone until the stylists finish up with the other contestants so one can begin his makeup. He’s getting his eyes done when Taekwoon finally shuffles in, shoulders hunched and Hakyeon narrows his eyes, causing the stylist to sigh. “Why are you trying to look small?” he asks Taekwoon accusingly. 

“I’m not,” Taekwoon replies, startling a little.

“You’re hunched over, why?” Hakyeon demands.

Taekwoon jerks his shoulder in a shrug and continues shuffling to the seat next to Hakyeon. 

Hakyeon huffs, but lets it be for now. He doesn’t want to irritate the other if he isn’t ready to talk about whatever is bothering him yet, so he goes back to his phone, scrolling through his Instagram feed while the stylist works on Taekwoon. 

He’s still silent when they go to the studio and ready themselves for filming and Hakyeon is worried about how that will translate on camera two weeks in a row. “Taekwoonie?” he asks softly before their cameraman gets into position.

Taekwoon looks at him, face carefully blank.

“I’m pretty sure you’re not mad at me, but if you are, can you tell me what I did this time?” he asks looking at the other.

“I’m not mad at you,” Taekwoon says sagging a little. “I’m mad at me because I don’t feel like I am contributing much this week and I’m worried we’ll be sent home because of it. 

“What are you even talking about?” Hakyeon asks, eyes wide. “You were amazing yesterday and you came up with those bookends so you _are_ contributing. You even chose our theme,” Hakyeon reminds him.

“Only because you were still trying to apologize,” Taekwoon counters. “An astronaut theme would have been cool.”

“Dinosaurs are awesome and I wasn’t just being nice to you. Listen, you are a fully contributing member of this team who is holding his own weight brilliantly after being thrown into a competition that focuses on skills you are still developing. Please stop being mean to yourself and see how amazing you are.”

Taekwoon’s eyes widen and he can only nod in response.

“Thank you, now let’s go design this room.”

After time starts for the Quick Craft winners, Hakyeon turns to Taekwoon, a smile on his face. “Before we get into this, I have a surprise for you,” he says reaching under the table. 

Taekwoon watches him warily as he retrieves the results of stopping at the store and spending half an hour at his sewing machine the previous night.

“What is that?” Taekwoon asks, stepping back.

“Since I didn’t have a chance to make you anything yesterday, I made this last night. It’s a tail!” Hakyeon replies holding out the long cone shaped tail attached to a simple belt. “This way you can _be_ a dinosaur while designing dinosaurs,” he beams.

“I’m not wearing that,” Taekwoon protests shaking his head hard as he speaks.

“Not even for two minutes so my hard work isn’t wasted?” Hakyeon asks, head tilted slightly as he looks at the other.

He sees the moment Taekwoon’s resolve crumbles. He is delighted when Taekwoon sighs deeply then snatches the tail from Hakyeon and quickly belts it on. Both of his hands come up to cover his face when Hakyeon asks him to turn around so he can see how it looks. 

“This is the best day of my life!” Jaehwan says suddenly, the sound of a camera shutter drawing both Hakyeon and Taekwoon’s attention.

Taekwoon stares at the host, murder in his eyes as he makes a quick getaway. He unfastens the belt and tosses it back to Hakyeon, who is doubled over in laughter so it bounces off of his head. 

“Thank you,” Hakyeon pants, trying to catch his breath. “I think that made my day.” He leans down and scoops up the tail and trots over to Jaehwan handing it to him before returning to their station.

When their time finally starts, Hakyeon sets the task of assembling dinosaur skeletons that he picked up on clearance at the same time he found the tub of figurines to Taekwoon, while he starts in on finding and loading dinosaur decal files in the default patterns on the cutting machine each team was provided with. Hakyeon finds a stegosaurus and a triceratops that he likes and queues both of those to print and cut on transfer paper and sets off toward the craft closet.

He finds the paint that he needs to start on his forestry wall, getting a few shades of green, a couple of shades of brown, and one each of gray and white. He starts with a coat of the darkest green, deciding that as a solid background will help to lessen the number of leaves he will eventually have to paint. The base coat goes on fairly quickly, and when he takes a break to check in on Taekwoon he finds him spray painting the hanger to match the book ends like they had discussed the previous day. 

“What do we need to do after this?” Taekwoon asks from behind the mask he is wearing.

“I was thinking of maybe printing and framing some of those anatomy drawings? You know, the ones that label the parts of the dinosaur?” Hakyeon asks.

“I can do that, then I’ll come help you paint,” Taekwoon replies.

“I’m working on one of the accent walls, I have two planned, but I think this one is going to be more work than I originally thought, he confesses. So we’ll do one wall, and then maybe the other three solid. I always forget how much work painting is.”

“It’s fine, I’ll help,” Taekwoon insists.

Hakyeon smiles, nods, and snags the decals off of the cutting machine bringing them over to the bed and testing out various placements on the pillow cases. He likes the size and decides they would look best centered, so he leaves them laying, deciding to save ironing them on for later. He realizes they should probably figure something out for the bedspread as well.

As he returns to the wall, Jaehwan shouts that an hour and a half has already passed. Deciding that making a tree stencil will be easier than trying to paint on a forest of individual trees in the remaining two and a half hours, he grabs a large section of cardboard, a pen, and an exacto knife and draws several tree silhouettes. He tries for variety, making some taller and others with more leaves. When it comes time to paint, he grabs a roll of painter’s tape and tries to tape the cardboard in place along the corners, but it keeps slipping and he’s getting frustrated. He sets it down and walks away for a few minutes, returning to Taekwoon.

His partner has tyrannosaurus and a brontosaurus skeletons constructed and Hakyeon loves them. “Are you at a stopping point?” he asks.

“I can be,” Taekwoon says setting the third skeleton aside.

“I need some help with my forest I think,” Hakyeon replies. 

Taekwoon stands without another word and they walk back to the room. 

“It keeps falling if I just use the tape so I think one of us needs to hold it while the other paints,” he explains.

“Spray paint might be faster?” Taekwoon says when he sees the various paint cans lined up near the wall.

Hakyeon opens his mouth, then closes it. He looks from the paint to the wall, back to the paint, and finally to Taekwoon. “I keep saying this, but you are brilliant.” He grabs several cans of paint and runs them back to the craft closet, trading them out for the closest spray equivalents he can find. “We’re going to start with trunks,” Hakyeon says. “Want to hold or paint?”

“Hold,” Taekwoon replies grabbing the cardboard.

Hakyeon passes him a mask and instructs him where to hold the cutout. They start at the left side, working their way in. The stencil works well, with only minor bleeding, but they can’t worry about it too much as time is ticking down steadily. Once the base of trunks is set, Hakyeon starts in with the first layer of green paint, building on it until the lower half of the wall resembles a forest.

Another hour has passed by the time they finish the wall and Hakyeon feels the time. “We’re scrapping the second wall,” he says, disappointment lacing his voice. 

“That’s okay, one cool wall is better than two okay ones,” Taekwoon shrugs. 

Hakyeon smiles as they return to their station so Taekwoon can finish piecing together the last dino and he can get started on the night light they have planned. He runs to the craft closet and finds a sheet of stiff clear plastic, some glow in the dark glue, as well as white paint. He works on cutting the plastic into an oval shape that resembles an egg, sanding down the sides to make sure it’s not sharp enough to cut anyone. Once he’s happy with the shape, he takes the glow glue and runs it in jagged lines across the surface, emulating a cracked egg. 

He decides to multitask while the glue dries and grabs their iPad to search for the images he had talked to Taekwoon about earlier. He finds a few and prints one as a test to see if the quality will be what he wants. The first print works well, so he prints two more. He also returns to their cutting machine and loads the dinosaur files again, setting them up to print out in varying colors on more transfer paper. He checks in on Taekwoon and is happy to see that he has the last skeleton assembled. “Do you think you can go find frames for these?” he asks, pointing to the prints.

“Sure, any specific kind, or whatever I can find?” Taekwoon asks rising to his feet.

“Any really as long as they match. We can trim the prints down if we need to.”

Taekwoon disappears and Hakyeon checks on the glue and is happy to see that it’s dry enough for him to add the paint. He uses a small brush and paints a thin coat, enough to cover it but not enough for it to goop and totally obscure the light behond.

“Are these okay? They’re all I could find in there,” Taekwoon asks holding up three black square frames.

“They’re perfect. We have a lot of white space, so we can trim them down easily. He takes a ruler, measures the frame, then marks the photo. Once he has one cut, he uses it as a template to mark the other two. 

Taekwoon takes over, cutting the last two and finishing the framing while Hakyeon works on a rig to connect the little plastic screen over the small light he brought. He takes a small nail from their station and uses it to punch holes, then finds some wire, threading it to one side and looping it around the light to thread it through the other side. It’s cute, and he smiles as he shows it to his partner. “I made an egg,” he says proudly.

“How’s it work?” Taekwoon asks.

Hakyeon stares at him, “It’s a light…you plug it into the wall? It has a little switch at the bottom you press and it lights up?”

“I’m not a moron, I know how a light works,” Taekwoon returns while stacking the frames carefully.

“You asked how it works!”

“I meant the cracks, why are they made of glue?”

“Oh,” Hakyeon says, laughing, “It’s glow glue. It’s non-toxic and lasts longer than cutting open a glow stick and painting with that stuff. It would have made a better presentation, but this is safer,” Hakyeon explains.

“It’s smart. I think Minyullie would like something like that.”

“I can make him one,” Hakyeon offers with a smile.

“Make it a microphone, he’s really into singing and dancing these days,” Taekwoon replies.

With an hour to go they turn to finishing up staging their room and making the bedspread. They only have one heat press, so it will take time to make the bedding. Hakyeon shows Taekwoon how to work it using the pillows, centering one dinosaur decal on each and using the press to fuse them with the fabric. “It’s pretty simple, really. I think for the blanket we should kind of put them askew all over,” he says laying a few out on the blanket to show what he means.

Taekwoon takes over the task while Hakyeon works on hanging the pictures and staging the rest of the room. He drags the bedframe back to the middle, centering it under the three prints. He takes their dinosaur tail rack and hangs it on the wall opposite to the forest one. Making it level takes time, but he gets it in the end. The wardrobe turned zoo/bookshelf sits on the opposite wall.

The last thing they do is make the bed. Taekwoon comes over, holding the blanket and Hakyeon helps him drape it over. As he is smoothing it out, his eye catches one of the dinosaurs, and he turns to Taekwoon, eyes narrowing, “Why is this one wearing a space helmet?”

“I wanted something of you in the room,” Taekwoon mumbles. “He’s a space dino.”

Hakyeon’s jaw drops and then he is laughing, moving around the bed to pull Taekwoon into a hug. “THat doesn’t even make sense, there’s a ton of ‘me’ in this room. How did you even do this?”

“I found the helmet in the stock images on the machine and just pressed it on over the other one.”

“Jung Taekwoon, you are amazing,” Hakyeon beams at him.

Taekwoon scoffs, shoving at Hakyeon’s arm with no real strength.

Time winds down a few minutes later and they return to their station to wait for the judges. They take the opportunity to clean up some of the mess they’ve made, putting the tools back in the bin and throwing away the trash that was left on the counter.

“Sorry I didn’t ask this morning, but did you sleep any better last night?” Hakyeon asks when they settle down again.

“A little, yeah. Less anxiety dreams of my notes catching fire while I’m holding them during a presentation. And I’m not even the one presenting next week,” he laughs.

Hakyeon winces in sympathy at the thought. 

When the judges finally make their way over to them, Jaehwan is still wearing the tail. Hakyeon grins at him and Taekwoon rolls his eyes, smiling fondly. “Alright you two, let’s go see what you have designed for us today.” Together, they cross the studio and enter their room. 

“Like we said yesterday, our theme was dinosaurs, so we drew some inspiration from Jurassic Park while designing this room. We have our zoo and storage station over here, and the hooks which we sprayed to match the bookends Taekwoon made,” Hakyeon explains. “We also used the cutting machine and heat transfer paper to design this bedspread with all of the dinosaurs on it.

“I like the mixing of the elements, with the more sophisticated look of the framed prints against the more juvenile zoo,” Kibum says. “I think it’s something a child both could grow into and enjoy during the present. I still think the bookends look more like trophies though,” he adds with a shrug.

Hakyeon turns to Taekwoon and rolls his eyes.

“I like your accent wall. I think it compliments the night light you’ve designed well, but I’m a little confused about one of your dinosaurs on the bedspread,” Heechul says pointing at the space dino.

“It’s for Hakyeon,” Taekwoon reples, fingers lacing together as he talks. “We were debating ideas and decided on dinosaurs, which was my theme, but he liked astronauts, so I made him a space dinosaur,” he says, voice trailing off.

“That was sweet of you,” Soljin says smiling at Taekwoon who ducks his head at the compliment.

“I was touched,” Hakyeon affirms. “I also made the night light, like you pointed out, so that if the child wakes up in the middle of the night they won’t be afraid,” he says, drawing attention back to himself.

“This was great work all around,” Heechul says. 

“I’m still sad there’s nothing to eat this week,” Jaehwan sighs wistfully as the judges wrap up with them and move on to the next set of contestants.

“That went well!” Hakyeon says once they are out of earshot and he and Taekwoon are making their way back towards their station.

“It did,” Taekwoon nods. “ but I still hope we can do food again next week,” he adds as they wait for the judges to finish up and make their decision.

“They probably will. Maybe one week we’ll even have a food heavy challenge?” Hakyeon offers.

“I don’t want that either though,” Taekwoon protests. 

“You’re impossible,” Hakyeon laughs fondly. “I am a little curious about the time frame of the contest though,” he says.

Taekwoon turns to him, brow furrowed, ”Why is that?”

They had us commit to seven weeks of potential filming, but the numbers don’t add up. There’s not enough teams,” Hakyeon explains.

“Maybe there’s a no elimination week?” Taekwoon guesses.

“Maybe. I’ll try and remember to ask Wonshik about it, but I bet neither him or Hongbinnie will tell me ‘because I’m a contestant’” Hakyeon sighs dramatically. 

Taekwoon huffs out a laugh, “But you _are_ a contestant.”

Hakyeon resolutely ignores him.

“If we could have all contestants back up to the front?” Jaehwan calls.

Dutifully, Taekwoon and Hakyeon rise and join the others to learn their fate. 

“This was another great week,” Soljin begins, smile bright. “We saw some real creativity from our teams and we were very impressed with everyone. There were two teams who stood out though,” she pauses dramatically. “Those teams were Hakyeon and Taekwoon, and Junghoon and Gyujin.”

Hakyeon slings an arm around Taekwoon and draws him closer. 

“Congratulations this week go to Junghoon and Gyujin!” she finishes.

Hakyeon squeezes Taekwoon briefly then breaks away, turning to congratulate the others. All four are asked to step back until eliminations are finished.

In the end it is Minsoo and Wheein who are eliminated. The goodbyes are brief, and the remaining contestants wait eagerly to find out their next theme

“Before we move on, I do want to announce that all of the furniture created here today will be donated to charities on your behalf, so it isn’t going to waste,” Jaehwan announces drawing cheers from the contestants. “With that being said, next week will be Seasons Week,” Jaehwan smiles.

The contestants begin murmuring in excitement, all wondering how exactly this will play out.

“Since there are only four teams left and we have four seasons, we decided it would be best to assign them so we don’t end up with multiples. We’re going to do it like we assigned pairings, so please come up and choose a paint stirrer and tell us which season you get. Junghoo, Gyujin, since you won this week, you will select first.”

Gyujin steps forward without even a glance to his partner and walks up to choose one of the stirrers. He looks down at it then turns towards the rest of the contestants, “Spring” he reads.

Hakyeon, Taekwoon, Which one of you will it be?” Jaehwan turns to them

“Since Taekwoon chose so well last time, my vote is he gets to choose again,” Hakyeon teases drawing a laugh from Jaehwan and a few of the other contestants.

Taekwoon gapes, reluctantly stepping forward and choosing one of the stirrers. “Summer,” he relays quietly, showing the text to the camera so they can confirm it.

After the other two remaining pairs are assigned and filming is done, they slip back into the dressing room and Hakyeon can’t help but hover just a little closer to Taekwoon than he usually does. He feels like something between them is starting to shift in his favor, and he is going to keep pressing his advantage for as long as Taekwoon allows.

“Summer should be fun to plan,” He says as they begin to gather their things.

“Summer is hot,” Taekwoon grumps, his lips pushing out into a pout.

“Has anyone told you that you are the epitome of adorable?” Hakyeon asks, the words slipping out before he has fully processed them. He’s about to apologize when Taekwoon’s pout just deepens. “The epitome,” Hakyeon laughs instead.

“I mentioned this last night, but things should start to slow down at work for me this week, so I’ll be more available to plan I think,” Taekwoon changes the subject.

Hakyeon knows when to drop something, so he switches back into business mode and nods, “My schedule is fairly open. I finish up with my client on Tuesday, and I don’t start with my next until the following Monday.”

”Then we’ll stick to our usual plan of texting and calls, and a possible dry run of something at one of our places if needed?” Taekwoon asks shouldering his bag.

“Sounds like a plan,” Hakyeon nods in confirmation.

They exit and wait for the bus together, Hakyeon maintaining his close distance to Taekwoon, happy that the other doesn’t move away until absolutely necessary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another glimpse of life outside of the show and more from Hakyeon's perspective. My usual disclaimers still apply: I am not an expert in any of these fields! If there's something glaringly wrong please let me know. If you think something is glaringly right, also please let me know ;) 
> 
> I pinky promise that the rating on this is justified. I just really really did write slow burn. Next chapter should be out about this time next week. Thanks for sticking with me ♥.


	5. Episode Four: Seasons

Monday, Hakyeon waits until he’s on a lunch break before texting Wonshik.

This is purely hypothetical, and we have maybe come close to discussing this topic before, but was there something official in the contract I signed saying that contestants can’t date each other?

_u didn’t read the contract?_

I read it, just not every single word. I know that we can’t defame each other and I can’t disclose the winner before the finale airs

_nothing in there about dating. which is probably good since u and taekwoon are too obvious. Like i’ve been saying_

Hakyeon’s eyes go wide and he types quickly

We are NOT dating. I’m not saying I am opposed to the idea, but there is currently nothing between us

_Whatever you say._

He knows he should drop it, move on and enjoy the rest of his lunch, but he can’t not ask.

What do you mean we’re obvious?

_HA. i knew it. ur soft with him. ur clingy with everyone, but even more with him. on his side u are the only one he talks to besides bin and that’s probably because bin’s the first one he met and e doesn’t want to make it weird w jaehwan_

He is shy and has done nothing to deserve my wrath yet unlike two other people I know

Hakyeon fires the message back then pointedly turns the phone so it rests screen side down so he can finish his lunch without looking at any reply Wonshik may try and send.

He tries to forget the words, to brush them off as teasing, but now he wonders if maybe what he’s been starting to feel is somehow reciprocated from Taekwoon. This is a question to ponder further when he is more removed from spending two days straight with him.

Once lunch is finished, he goes back to putting the final touches on the bathroom he has been focusing on for the past few days. The floors are done and now he can work on that shelving unit that will fill the awkward wasted space above the toilet. The plans are simple, just four pieces of plywood cut to fit and then glued and screwed to the wall. He stains them a dark espresso so that they pop against the eggshell he has chosen for the walls. The contrast is pleasing, as is the final product. So he neatly folds a few towels, grabs one of the small fake plants he keeps in his supplies for staging purposes, and makes sure everything is truly level. Satisfied with his work, he takes a step back and snaps a picture with his phone, sending it off to Taekwoon with a “finished the bathroom!” He doesn’t wait for a response, instead pocketing his phone and retrieving his DSLR to take some real photos for his portfolio. 

After he’s done, he packs up his things and films a full walkthrough for his channel, starting in the living room and explaining each piece and choice he made. He takes his time working his way through the rest of the house since his client isn’t returning until the next day anyway. He finally checks his texts again as he is walking to the bus and smiles down at the “My mom really would want me to hire you” Taekwoon had sent back in reply earlier. 

I’m not cheap, but for you I’d make an exception

he types out the response, but waffles on whether or not to actually send it, but he stumbles and in trying to regain his balance, accidentally hits send. His eyes widen as he stares down at the screen in horror, the sense deepening when the appears next to the message.

_She’ll be happy to hear that_

Hakyeon’s heart skips several beats as he sinks down onto the bus stop bench.

\------

Tuesday morning Taekwoon feels like a zombie as he trudges in to work. He is _so close_ to putting the final touches on the song, he just needs to finish recording the demo so he can send it to Jaehwan. He was up later than he should have been the night before, but the payoff will be worth it in the end.

Reality hits him hard after he walks into his cube and sees that the pile of papers on his desk has again nearly doubled in size. He groans as he sinks down onto his chair and logs in to his computer, choosing instead to focus on e-mails for a few minutes and save combing through the data for a little later. The buzz of his phone several minutes later draws his attention. Hakyeon’s name on his screen instantly brings a smile to his face.

How is your morning?

_Too much paper, not enough coffee_

I didn’t know it was possible to hear a pout through text until now. Go get you some coffee, then finish the paperwork

_I was just about to. The presentation is Thursday, so this not so mysterious influx of paperwork should disappear soon._

Good. You should only have to do your own work.

_In a perfect world I wouldn’t even work here_

It’s a bold confession, something he hasn’t ever said aloud to anyone that wasn’t family, and he isn’t quite sure why he is admitting it to Hakyeon in this moment.

What would you be doing then?

Taekwoon leans back in his chair and contemplates his phone.

_Writing. Composing._

Singing?

_Still not singing for you._

Hakyeon sends him a pouting emoji, then changes the subject asking about a strategy dinner like they had done the previous week.

We can go out this time instead of doing it at one of our places…unless you want to cook for me?

_Not this week. Thursday is the presentation so I’ll be here late most days, but I also won’t feel like cooking so dinner out would be great._

Wednesday let’s do pizza then? Something different from barbecue

_Sounds good._

He sighs at the stack of papers on his desk and starts his now routine task of categorizing them into priority and expense type. Luckily he’s done this enough times that it is mindless work, something his fingers know how to do while his mind drifts slightly to Hakyeon. Always Hakyeon these days.

Wednesday arrives and Taekwoon is absolutely buried in papers. Taejoon, in a stunning display of negligence, drops twice the amount of work he usually does on Taekwoon’s desk with the excuse of needing to be in a meeting with the higher ups and Taekwoon stares at him in disbelief. “I have my own work,” he protests, starting to push the pile back.

“This takes priority.”

Taejoon’s voice is clipped and he turns and walks out of Taekwoon’s cube before he can put up any more of a resistance. He drops his head against his desk, the impact drawing a grunt of pain from him when his head hits.

“You okay over there, Hyung?” Sanghyuk’s voice drifts over the partition.

“No,” Taekwoon calls back. “I’m quitting.”

“I get your chair when you go, mine is killing my back,” Sanghyuk responds.

“I’ll tell HR.”

Taekwoon’s next act is to head to the breakroom to grab a coffee and text Hakyeon to reluctantly cancel their strategy meeting for tonight. He types as he waits for a new pot of coffee to brew.

_I hate to do this so last minute, but my favorite senior just dropped like three days of work on my desk and needs it by tomorrow. I’m going to be here all night so I can’t make dinner_

He’s not expecting for his phone to buzz in his hand and Hakyeon’s face to fill the screen. “Hello?” Taekwoon asks confused.

“I’m not even mad about dinner, but you cannot starve tonight,” he says by way of greeting.

“I’m not going to starve, I know how to order food and there’s ramyun here I can cook.”

Hakyeon mutters something under his breath that Taekwoon doesn’t quite catch, but then he hears a hasty “I have to go.”

Taekwoon’s brows draw together and he pulls the phone back from his face to give it a baffled look before bringing it back to his ear, “Uh, okay?”

“I’ll see you later,” Hakyeon says then disconnects the call.

Taekwoon is on the verge of correcting him when he realizes the line is dead.

After the coffee is brewed, the rest of his day passes monotonously. Taekwoon is drowning in numbers and shrugs off Sanghyuk’s valiant attempt to volunteer to stay back and help him. “No, I don’t want anyone else inconvenienced by this. I’ll do it,” he insists, ushering the other off toward the exit. 

He’s only gotten half of the paperwork done by the time his stomach starts growling and he decides he should probably decide on a real plan for dinner. He winces, thinking about poor Mochi and how she’ll have to wait for dinner as well, but for the second time that day the buzzing of his phone and Hakyeon’s face on the screen surprise him. 

“Are you going to make sense this time?” He asks as he answers the phone.

“Come to security and tell them to let me in,” Hakyeon replies.

“No, I guess you’re not,” Taekwoon sighs pushing away from his desk. “Why are you at security?”

“I brought pizza,” Hakyeon replies like that should make sense.

“How do you know where I work?”

“I used my best friend privileges and got Hongbinnie to tell me,” Hakyeon says. 

Taekwoon groans and hangs up the phone. As he walks towards security to affirm Hakyeon’s identity, he opens up a message to Sanghyuk.

_Tell Hongbin I’m going to kill him_

He ignores the series of question marks he gets in reply and resigns himself to apologizing to security for the trouble. What he sees when he approaches though is Hakyeon, holding two pizza boxes, smiling brightly at the guard, who is smiling back at him as he munches on a slice.

“Taekwoonie!” he calls out in greeting as Taekwoon approaches.

“You’re annoying,” he replies, feeling the tips of his ears turning red. 

“If someone brought me dinner when I was stuck working late I think I would be a little more grateful,” the guard chimes in, eyes narrowing at Taekwoon.

Hakyeon beams as Taekwoon groans. Taekwoon holds his hands out for the pizza, but Hakyeon twists the boxes out of reach, shaking his head, “Nope, these are with me. I’m going to come keep you company while you eat or no pizza for you.”

Taekwoon’s stomach growls loudly and Hakyeon, mercifully, stifles his laugh. “Can you let him through?” he asks the guard dejectedly.

The guard quickly makes Hakyeon a guest pass before buzzing them both through. Hakyeon offers him another slice before they leave, but the guard waves them off.

As they wind their way back to Taekwoon’s cubicle, he wonders what he’s supposed to say. It’s one thing to see Hakyeon on the weekends, or at a restaurant, or one of their homes, but seeing Hakyeon in his office is jarring. 

“What exactly do you need to do tonight?” Hakyeon asks as they approach Taekwoon’s desk.

“Comb through these papers and itemize things,” Taekwoon replies gesturing towards his current stack. “I’ve already checked them for lodging but now I need to go back over them and check for transportation, then meals. It’s tedious, and if Taejoon lived in this century he would have it all in a program where I could just click and label.”

“But instead it’s highlighter on paper?” Hakyeon asks setting the pizza down on a clear space among said office supplies.

Taekwoon nods, eyes trained on the pizza box. 

“Take a seat, and get yourself some food before you drool all over those papers,” Hakyeon teases as he seemingly magics a couple of cans of soda from nowhere. 

Taekwoon doesn’t need to be told twice, dropping into his chair and reaching for the top box. 

“I wasn’t sure what you like on pizza, so I just did one with everything and one with nothing,” Hakyeon explains as Taekwoon opens one of the boxes to reveal a supreme pizza.

“Everything is good, but I’ll also eat the one with nothing.”

“Our little human garbage disposal,” Hakyeon coos.

Taekwoon wrinkles his nose around his bite of food, eyes narrowing at the other.

“It’s okay, eat as much as you want,” Hakyeon grins. “You can even have the leftovers.”

Mollified, Taekwoon returns to inhaling his food.

They eat in relative silence, both enjoying the food and the quiet atmosphere of the mostly deserted office. Once they’re both full, Taekwoon wipes his hands and gestures at the papers, “I should get back to this if I want to leave before midnight.”

“I can help?” Hakyeon offers.

Taekwoon stares back at him blankly.

“I know how to highlight. Just tell me keywords I’m looking for and I can take half the stack and then we can switch when you’re done. You said you had, what, accommodation and transportation left?”

“Transportation and meals.”

“Easy,” Hakyeon declares, “what color do you want me to use?”

Taekwoon tosses him the green marker, “Look for transportation. Anything dealing with gas, trains, buses, whatever.”

Hakyeon nods and gets to work, highlighting happily. Taekwoon takes a second to appreciate the slope of Hakyeon’s nose and the brush of his eyelashes as they rest against his cheek when he blinks. 

Taekwoon can never say these things out loud, not yet anyway, but it doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate them. He’s also thankful that Hakyeon seems to want to spend time with him. He knows his personality isn’t easy to get along with, at least not at first, so he is glad that Hakyeon has been willing to take the time to learn how he ticks.

Half an hour later Hakyeon pushes his stack towards Taekwoon and smiles proudly. Taekwoon only has a few sheets left himself. “Do you need a break?” he asks running his own yellow highlighter over a line. 

“Let’s push through,” Hakyeon replies. “You need to get home and check on Mochi.”

Taekwoon is touched that Hakyeon thought of her. “She’s going to be mad at me again,” he says highlighting one last line and handing the stack of papers to Hakyeon.

“Just give her a few extra treats and she’ll love you again,” Hakyeon assures as he takes the stack and begins highlighting again. He stops his work soon though, leaning back to give Taekwoon a long look, “I am still mad on your behalf about you being stuck here doing someone else’s work,” he says.

Taekwoon sighs. He’s had this argument with too many people lately, “Me too, but this is reality right now. If I don’t do it, the numbers won’t get run and the project can’t move forward. It’s better to do it and not get credit than to hold out and just anger Taejoon and Manager Ahn. The presentation tomorrow should be the last of this happening, so please stop worrying.”

“Your way of thinking is admirable, and makes you a great employee,” Hakyeon concedes. “I just wish there was some way for you to expose what’s happening to someone willing to do something about it. You deserve more credit.”

“I don’t want more credit,” Taekwoon counters, “I just want to do my job and my job only.” He highlights another page and sets it down. 

“I’m not trying to be antagonistic,” Hakyeon says returning to his own highlighting, “I just want you to have the recognition you deserve.”

“Recognition is the last thing I want,” Taekwoon reiterates, dropping his highlighter and running his hand through his hair. “I just want to come in, do my job, then go home to my cat and my music.”

“I’m sorry I upset you,” Hakyeon says quietly. “This was not my intention. I’ll finish helping you highlight and then I’ll get going.”

“That’s not—you aren’t the problem. Neither of us can fix what’s wrong tonight anyway, so please just distract me with ideas about what we can make next week.”

“Summer is easy,” Hakyeon begins. “We should plan a picnic for our food. We can front load the prep work and assemble at the end.”

“Gimbap would be good, maybe some patbingsu?” Taekwoon suggests.

“Very summery,” Hakyeon nods. He is concentrated on his work and the little crease between his brow as he studies the paper makes Taekwoon melt a little. 

“What about decorations?”

“I’d like to try to center everything around a trip to the beach? With a few sea creatures, maybe a kiddie pool to signify the ocean, some comfy chairs again if we can--I think I saw something in the craft closet last week-- maybe some personalized accessories for the judges if there is time?”

“This sounds good to me. I can make something else besides gimbap so that the meal feels more complete.”

“We should dress like summer too,” Hakyeon suggests. “Extend our theme into ourselves.”

“That’s such a designer thing to say,” Taekwoon scoffs. “I dress the same year round.”

“You wear floppy sweaters in the middle of summer?”

“Sometimes.”

Hakyeon snorts and moves on to another paper, “You are impossible, Jung Taekwoon.”

Taekwoon finds himself grinning back at the other, “Both you and my mom say that all the time.”

“She sounds like a wise woman.”

“She is,” Taekwoon agrees. “She actually wants to meet you sometime. Last week she was asking if I was bringing you to dinner anytime soon,” he confesses quietly.

“That sounds really fun!” Hakyeon’s eyes are wide. “I’d really love to join you sometime if you don’t think I would be imposing.”

Taekwoon shakes his head, intentionally keeping his eyes trained on the papers instead of Hakyeon’s face, “She wouldn’t have asked if she wasn’t prepared to feed you. I’ll ask her when.”

Hakyeon beams at the words

Together they finish itemizing the expenses and Taekwoon is astonished at how quickly it goes. “I think you saved me from the wrath of Mochi,” he says as they start to pack up.

“’Protector of Taekwoons’ is my unofficial title,” Hakyeon says with a wink. He combines the pizza leftovers into one box and holds it out to Taekwoon, “Feeder of Taekwoons is my other one.”

Taekwoon feels himself color as he takes the box. “I thought I was the food expert here. I’ll bring the other one home and recycle it too,” he says reaching for the box.

“I got it,” Hakyeon replies dismissively.

“Okay,” Taekwoon shrugs giving up the fight and Hakyeon lets out a startled laugh.

“Have I told you lately how delightful I find you?” Hakyeon asks as they set off towards security to return his visitor’s pass and head home.

“You and my mom are, again, probably the only people on this planet who would describe me like that,” Taekwoon returns with a shrug.

“I’m in good company then. Everyone else is dumb because you are absolutely delightful,” Hakyeon declares leaving no room for debate.

Taekwoon rolls his eyes and leads Hakyeon to the desk where the guard greets them with a smile.

“All done for the night?” he asks reaching for the badge Hakyeon is holding out.

“Yes, sir! Thank you again for letting me in,” Hakyeon replies with a bow.

“It’s no problem,” the guard replies dismissively.

“Have a good night!” Hakyeon chirps as he and Taekwoon exit the building. 

Once outside, they stand at the curb, a pizza box in each of their hands. Taekwoon wants to draw out the moment, keep Hakyeon with him for just a few more minutes, but he has no reason to. He stares down at Hakyeon’s shoes, Chuck Taylor hightops with the laces looped around his ankles and tied in the back. “Thanks again for your help,” he mumbles to the shoes.

“You’re welcome again. I had fun tonight and I’m glad you didn’t starve,” Hakyeon teases.

Taekwoon rolls his eyes, then brings his gaze up to finally meet Hakyeon’s once again, “I guess I’ll see you Saturday?”

“You better,” Hakyeon scoffs. “Have a good night and give Mochi a scritch for me,” Hakyeon says reaching out to run his hand along Taekwoon’s forearm.

Taekwoon’s eyes widen at his touch and he fights back a shiver, “I’ll do that. Good night,” he replies quietly.

As he makes his way home, the phantom touch of Hakyeon’s hand is all he can think about.

Thursday morning Taekwoon mutters a “thanks” as he sinks into the seat Sanghyuk saved for him. He is running late because he had to stop for a top up on his coffee if he is going to survive this meeting and the drone of Taejoon’s voice. There is nothing more boring in Taekwoon’s opinion than someone spouting off a bunch of numbers at him, which is more than slightly ironic in his line of work. He settles his pad of paper and pen on the table in front of him before leaning back and making himself comfortable. He had handed off the results to Taejoon earlier that morning so the older could finalize the presentation. Taekwoon is looking forward to seeing his boss’ reaction to the work he’s put in, and Taejoon’s interpretation of it, and what it will mean for the future of the project.

“How much credit do you think he’ll give you for doing most of your work?” Sanghyuk whispers.

Taekwoon snorts, “None if I know him as well as I think I do.”

Sanghyuk’s eyes narrow, “None? Not even a “Thanks to Taekwoon who practically did my whole job for me?”

“Lower your voice,” Taekwoon warns.

Sanghyuk’s face darkens but he snaps his mouth shut anyway.

At that moment Taejoon strides into the room followed by their boss who shuts the door behind him. Taejoon walks to the head of the table and connects his tablet to the projector using the HDMI output and brings his presentation up.

“Thank you all for joining us, this will help us to decide whether or not the acquisition of JAS Corp will be beneficial to us as a whole. Taejoon, has been working on cataloguing expenses for the past two weeks and is now going to present his findings. Taejoon?”

“Hello everyone and thank you for your attention today. I started the audit by focusing on company expenditures regarding work related travel by categorizing them into three different areas: food, transportation, and accommodations. I combed through the last two years and broke down the totals.” He shows a slide of a bar graph with various colors. 

Taekwoon just barely holds back a snort at how elementary it looks.

“After going through each expense I came to the conclusion that they spend an average amount on transportation costs, but both food and accommodation are disproportionate to what one should expect from a company of their size. If we do decide to go ahead with the acquisition, I would recommend that we significantly reduce the amount spent on both food and accommodations during business trips.”

“Thank you,” their boss says, a little lost. “Is that all?”

Taejoon looks back at him, eyes wide, but nods.

“Alright, thank you.”

As they are dismissed, Sanghyuk leans in to whisper to Taekwoon, “I think you should be glad he left your name out of that. Ahn-nim did not seem very impressed by that.”

Taekwoon laughs softly and nods, “I think he was expecting a little more than just ‘we should curb their spending’ when he asked Taejoon to evaluate the account.”

“You knew that, didn’t you?” the younger asks giving Taekwoon a knowing look.

Taekwoon gives a one shoulder shrug, “I had my suspicions, but all Taejoon asked was for an analysis of spending. So that’s what I gave him.”

“I’ve never been more proud,” Sanghyuk grins. “You should take after me more often.”

Taekwoon gives him a quick slap, ”I am still older than you,” he chastises, but winces and turns away when Sanghyuk returns the slap with more force than strictly necessary.

“But I’m bigger,” Sanghyuk grins.

Friday Taekwoon skips the usual family dinner in favor of finishing his song and spending a quiet evening with Mochi. He doesn’t like to miss dinner, but with the constant stress from work coupled with the new pressure from the competition, he feels like he needs a night to himself. Luckily it’s a productive one and he finishes the demo and sends the file off to Jaehwan earlier than anticipated. He passes the rest of the night watching Hakyeon’s newer videos and cuddling with Mochi and eventually falls asleep on the couch.

Saturday Taekwoon wakes up from too much sleep and a crick in his neck to a link to a recording of Jaehwan singing the song and he loves the way his voice sounds on it.

_You sound amazing on this_ he sends as he rolls off the couch and trips over Mochi on his way to the kitchen. 

**there’s another version**

Taekwoon stares down at his phone as he tries to process the text. Mochi is winding her way around his feet as he pours her food, and he pets her absently before turning towards the coffee maker to help him understand what Jaehwan is talking about. Before he gets the chance to ask, another link appears and he clicks it curiously.

As he stands in the kitchen, his mouth turns to a soft frown as he listens to the alternative version of the song—one in which his own vocals are preserved and layered on top of Jaehwan’s in places. It seems he and Wonshik had turned it into a duet instead of a solo after he sent it to them. 

_What’s this?_

He knows the answer, but doesn’t know what else to say.

**stop being dumb. you can sing just as well as i can, please act like it**

Taekwoon scowls at the phone and ignores it in favor of adding too much cream and sugar to his coffee. As he sips, he also stews on the fact that deep down he knows Jaehwan is right, but he’s not sure he is ready to put himself that far out there yet. His phone buzzes again and he nearly ignores it before the coffee reminds him that he should try not to piss all of his friends off this early in the day. 

You’re wearing summer clothes today, right?

He wishes he had ignored it, but now Hakyeon will see the read receipt and know. 

_I told you I dress the same year round_

so help me, Jung Taekwoon, if you show up in a sweater today I will dress you myself.

Taekwoon gulps at the message and stares down at his phone. 

_I’ll figure something out_

Good boy

Taekwoon screams into his kitchen at the feeling those words inspired in him and Mochi takes off running at the sound.

An hour and a half later he is stepping into the green room and scowling at the floor. He is wearing a black graphic t-shirt, the sleeves cut off, and jeans with rips in them. He’s brought a cardigan just in case the studio gets cold before or after filming, and so he won’t have to change before dinner later.

Hakyeon bursts out laughing and shakes his head, smile still in place as he takes in Taekwoon’s appearance, “This is really how you dress in the summer? For real?”

Taekwoon glares at him in response and goes to set his things down. He isn’t going to have this fight, so he astutely ignores Hakyeon and instead takes the empty chair next to him to wait for his turn to get his filming makeup done.

“They may make you put on something under that…decency laws being what they are,” Hakyeon teases.

Taekwoon sends him another glare through the mirror and continues to ignore him. Hakyeon looks like he got dressed in the dark, with his bright purple floral patterned shirt, royal blue shorts with another intricate pattern, and sandals that look like his toes are poking out of a fish’s open mouth. 

“You look stupid,” Taekwoon finally mutters back.

Hakyeon’s eyes widen, and then he is laughing anew, hand coming up to cover his face as he completely loses it for a minute. “Has anyone ever told you that you fight like a five year old? It’s probably why you and Minyul get along so well.”

“You two are quite the match, aren’t you?” the stylist working on Hakyeon asks as she laughs at their antics. 

Before Taekwoon can respond, Hongbin enters and takes in both of their outfits and starts cackling himself. “I honestly think you two are the most dedicated to any theme we could present. You especially, Hyung,” he says throwing a significant look at Hakyeon’s choice of footwear.  
.  
“I’m taking that as a compliment,” Hakyeon replies easily. 

“Taekwoon—you’re going to need a tank under that shirt. We can’t have nipples on a craft show, sorry. I’m sure someone has one you can—”

Taekwoon glowers at them both before stomping over to his bag and digging a tank top out of it. Without a word he strips off his shirt and tugs the top on, pulling his tee back on and rounding on the other two, “Am I decent enough now?”

Hakyeon’s jaw is hanging slack and Hongbin starts laughing so hard he has to wipe the tears from his eyes. Taekwoon feels a flush starting to creep up his neck and returns to his seat to again wait his turn.

When filming finally starts, Taekwoon finds that he and Hakyeon are the only ones dressed for the occasion. He’s weighing the advantages and disadvantages when Jaehwan enters and his eyes widen after landing upon the pair. Taekwoon sends him a glare before the cameras can catch it.

“Well, it looks like one of our pairs truly went all out this week in trying to represent their season. Was this a deliberate choice to try and keep first place going?” he asks the pair.

“We just wanted to make sure we were portraying every aspect of the season we were given. Take this as a hint to our Final Craft for tomorrow,” Hakyeon grins back.

“Those poor fish though,” Jaehwan says sadly, then moves on. “As you know, it is Seasons Week here and you will be expected to portray that theme across our three challenges. Once again our winner will have the customary 10 minute advantage for the Final Craft on Sunday. The Quick Craft challenge you are tasked with this week will be to make something seasonal.”

Taekwoon turns to Hakyeon, brow furrowed because those are possibly the most useless directions he has ever been given. True to form, Hakyeon however seems unbothered and instead remains laser focused on Jaehwan.

“You will only have twenty minutes, but, as always, you have access to the Craft Closet, so get crafting!”

Taekwoon follows Hakyeon this time as he runs off to the supply area. Hakyeon essentially uses Taekwoon as a shopping cart, saying “hold this” and piling various items in his arms until he tugs him back towards their station. Taekwoon does as he is told and carries his armload back to the table, dumping it unceremoniously.

“We’re making wind chimes,” Hakyeon explains as he begins to dig under the table and emerges a few seconds later holding an electric drill. “They’ll be more decorative than musical, but that’s fine.” He fits the smallest bit he can find on the drill and points at the jar of seashells that was in the pile Taekwoon brought back, “Pick out pretty shells.”

Taekwoon opens the jar and starts selecting shells, going for the ones with the prettier color combinations and trying to avoid the cracked ones as much as possible. He slides them over to Hakyeon who makes quick work of drilling a hole through each one. Once Hakyeon deems they have enough of the smaller ones, he finds a large flat shell and drills a few holes in it.

“We’re going to take fishing line and string the shells on it. Watch me.” 

He instructs Taekwoon on threading the shell onto the line and then knotting it so that it stays in place and doesn’t just stack directly on top of the one under it. He quickly strings three shells before handing the line to Taekwoon. “This line is going to have five, I’m going to make one with six, then we’ll do seven and eight. We’ll attach them all to the large shell last, so make sure to leave a long tail on each end.

Taekwoon nods and begins to string the last two shells onto the line, knotting it as Hakyeon showed him. He’s pleased when the first one stays in place. He makes quick work of the second, leaving a long tail as Hakyeon asked, then moves on to the next strand. “You’re doing the six one, right? So I’m working on the seven one?” he holds out his string of five.

“Right,” Hakyeon confirms. 

“Five minutes!” Jaehwan shouts.

Hakyeon lets out a small curse under his breath and Taekwoon smirks, always amused when it is Hakyeon panicking slightly on camera instead of him for once.

“We’re not going to finish, so we’ll just make this into a four strand and you can do a three strand one.”

Taekwoon does as he is told, taking three of the shells and knotting them on the string. His initial placement isn’t as clean as Hakyeon’s, but it does the job even if the spacing isn’t perfect. 

As the time ticks down, Hakyeon strings the three lines of shells onto the large, flat shell, triangulating them so the chime effect is still somewhat present.

“Time is up, Crafters, please take a step back!” Jaehwan shouts.

They are first in line for judging today and Taekwoon has a sneaking suspicion that they will not be winning the advantage. 

“Ooh, what’s this? It’s pretty!” Soljin says as the judges approach their station.

“It’s a wind chime, more aesthetic than musical at the moment, but like you said, pretty,” Hakyeon shrugs. 

“It looks...unfinished,” Kibum comments. 

“It took more time to prepare the shells than we anticipated,” Hakyeon smiles sheepishly.

“You know you’re not winning this one, right?” Kibum asks as Heechul takes hold of the wind chime.

Taekwoon’s eyes snap to him, but Hakyeon laughs it off, “We don’t really need the ten minutes this time. No marshmallows,” he grins.

“Okay,” Jaehwan says quickly drawing attention to himself and attempting to dissipate the tension, “why don’t the judges go see what spring, winter and fall have to offer?”

Hakyeon grins at him and waves happily as the judges leave. Taekwoon turns to him, “He already doesn’t like me, why are you messing with him?”

“He’s all bark and no bite. I told you, he’s playing his role. Anyway, I bet the upcycle challenge is going to be equally as vague as the Quick Craft was,” Hakyeon says offhandedly. “The theme they picked means they have to give us something that can be broadly interpreted again.”

Taekwoon nods, snagging his sweater off from the back of his chair and pulling it on. He was right, the studio is cold when he isn’t running around and making things, so he gives Hakyeon an “I told you so” look as he adjusts it.

“Are you really cold right now, or do you just need security sweater paws?” Hakyeon asks as he starts in on making another string of shells to add to their chime.

Taekwoon splutters and looks down at his hands where his sleeves do hang over his hands, “I don’t need security anything,” he returns lamely cheeks heating from the slight jab. He leaves the sleeves where they are.

“So cute,” Hakyeon laughs and attaches the strand to the shell completing the chimes.

“Stop calling me that,” Taekwoon mutters raking his fingers through the excess shells still on the table.

“Does it bother you?” Hakyeon asks, smile gone, a little line of worry appearing between his brows instead.

“No it’s just not…true,” he returns quickly, voice going small at the end as Hakyeon studies him.

“Who told you that?” Hakyeon demands, his eyes narrowed as if he’s going to march off and confront the person immediately. 

Taekwoon waves his hands, sleeves flapping slightly, “No, no one, it’s just, I’m not cute,” he explains head dipping forward again.

“You are adorable and don’t let anyone, even yourself, tell you otherwise. It’s one of your greatest strengths,” Hakyeon admonishes him. 

Taekwoon’s forehead sinks further towards the tabletop, narrowly avoiding the excess shells, and he prays for either the ground to open and swallow him whole or for a massive distraction. Thankfully the second happens in the form of Jaehwan calling them forward to announce that Team Fall has won the quick craft challenge for their use of fall foliage and die cuts to make a door wreath. 

“We would have won if we had finished,” Hakyeon whispers and Taekwoon throws a quick glance to the judges to see if they overheard. Heechul is laughing quietly and Taekwoon just barely stops himself from rolling his eyes as the cameras start rolling once more.

“That was a great round,” Jaehwan says. “Now we’re going to do our upcycle challenge. You get the usual forty-five minutes, so please ready yourselves to turn trash into treasure!”

The cloth hiding the stack of objects the contestants are to use rises to reveal a mini mountain of recyclable materials. 

“I have an idea,” Hakyeon is saying, “Grab as much paper as you can. Whatever colors, it doesn’t matter, the more the better.”

Taekwoon nods and follows Hakyeon’s lead as they are released to begin gathering their materials. He grabs scraps of construction paper, notebook paper, magazines, anything and everything. Their station ends up looking like the bottom of a kindergarten classroom after arts and crafts time and Taekwoon is curious as to what Hakyeon can be thinking, “What’s the plan?”

“A flower garland,” Hakyeon replies while separating papers into stacks based on color.

“Aren’t flowers spring though?” Taekwoon asks starting to sort as well.

Hakyeon shrugs “There are still flowers in the summer, plus this will be stunning. We’re going to do origami and make a couple of different types and string them together, I may even make you a flower crown if we have time,” Hakyeon winks.

Taekwoon feels his mouth drop into a pout, “I thought you had forgotten the thing about dressing me up,” he protests.

“Never,” Hakyeon replies solemnly. “Now follow what I do,” he shows him the steps to folding a quick five petal flower using one of the pieces that’s already in a square. “If you need to make it a square, just fold like this,” Hakyeon grabs a sheet of blue copy paper and folds one corner diagonally so it meets another, “press it down and either cut or tear off the excess. We’ll use the leftovers to weave it or something.”

Taekwoon nods, then tries the steps like Hakyeon had shown him. “This is harder than fish,” he grumps unfolding his flower attempt and starting over, 

“It’s just different,” Hakyeon counters folding his own more complicated flower with ease. “It’s muscle memory after you get the first couple down, just like the fish were.”

Taekwoon heaves a sigh and keeps on folding, “How many of these do you want?” 

“As many as you can make. I’ll work on supplemental flowers so they’re not all uniform.”

“They’re not going to be uniform anyway,” Taekwoon snorts as his second flower ends up with one petal a little shorter than the others for unknown reasons.

“Nature isn’t uniform, so it goes with our theme,” Hakyeon reasons.

Much to Taekwoon’s chagrin, Hakyeon drops a stunning flower crown on his head fifteen minutes later in addition to about thirty other flowers of various shapes and sizes. Taekwoon adds his own to the pile and stares at them, then at Hakyeon. “What now?” he asks.

“Now we string them together. We’ll just do a quick one like popcorn for a Christmas tree,” Hakyeon explains.

“You put popcorn on your tree?” Taekwoon asks, brows furrowed.

“Yeah?” Hakyeon answers retrieving a needle and thread from their station’s sewing kit. “Is that weird?”

“Yes,” Taekwoon affirms solemnly. He watches as Hakyeon skillfully threads the needle and ties off the end before taking a flower and carefully impaling it through the center to start a chain. His eyes track the deft movements of Hakyeon’s hands even as he teases back, “You’re supposed to eat popcorn, not decorate with it.”

Hakyeon shrugs, “My family is weird. Now start lining up flowers for me. Give me two or three of the ones I did, then one of yours.”

Taekwoon looks at the flowers Hakyeon has already strung and sees that they are a deep red in color, then an idea strikes him. Rather than running it by Hakyeon, he takes a chance and just starts setting flowers in front of the other, trying for a lighter shade of red leading into ones that are pink. 

It takes about ten more flowers before Hakyeon breathes out a quick “Oh!”

Taekwoon stops mid reach and turns to Hakyeon, eyes wide, “Did you stab yourself?”

“No, no,” Hakyeon says quickly reaching for more flowers and continuing to string them, “I just realized the color shift. It’s beautiful.”

Taekwoon can’t stop the quirk of his lips at Hakyeon’s praise and lines up more flowers, “If you want to tell me which ones to grab—”

“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” Hakyeon cuts him off, “I’ll just mess it up.”

Taekwoon rolls his eyes, but continues the task. Jaehwan’s thirty second call doesn’t even phase them as Hakyeon is already tying off the end and arranging the garland on the table in front of them. Taekwoon rolls his eyes again when Hakyeon reaches up and adjusts the flower crown on top of his head before holding his hand up for a high five. Taekwoon obliges, smacking his palm against his partner’s then leans forward on his elbows to await judging.

“Aren’t flowers spring?” are the first words out of Kibum’s mouth when the judges finally approach their station.

“Don’t they grow year round?” Hakyeon asks in return.

“Some,” Kibum acknowledges.

“They definitely grow in summer though,” Hakyeon beams. “This is a flower garland made of recycled paper. We’ve used pretty much any kind of paper you can imagine and have several different flowers represented from azaleas to hibiscus.”

“This is beautiful and the color gradient is stunning,” Soljin says, fingers grazing the garland. “I like the accessory you’ve given Taekwoon as well,” she grins.

All eyes turn to Taekwoon and his flower crown and he ducks his head, blushing furiously.

“Mmm” Hakyeon nods clipping his arm around Taekwoon and patting him gently, “He looked so out of place in his black shirt that I had to summer him up a bit,” Hakyeon replies thoughtfully.

Taekwoon elbows him in the ribs drawing a laugh from the judges and Jaehwan. “He looks violent,” Jaehwan observes.

“Violence is Taekwoonie’s love language,” Hakyeon grins wrapping Taekwoon in a hug.

Taekwoon twists out of his arms and sends him a glare that has Hakyeon’s eyes crinkling in a smile. 

“I’m eager to see how you work this garland into your display tomorrow like we’ve seen you do the last couple of weeks,” Heechul says steering the conversation back to judging.

“That will be interesting, now let’s move on before Hakyeon here loses a limb on camera, please,” Jaehwan grins as he ushers the judges off to Team Winter to see how they have turned trash into treasure.

“I’m going to kill you in your sleep,” Taekwoon murmurs as he and Hakyeon sink back down into their chairs. He pulls his cardigan on again and buries his head in his arms.

“Inviting yourself over for a sleepover now?” Hakyeon asks with a laugh.

Taekwoon makes a strangled noise from under his sleeves.

Fall wins the judges’ praise again, but Hakyeon remains indifferent, choosing instead to focus on the Saturday tradition they have instilled, “So, where are we going for dinner?” he asks while unbuttoning his gaudy shirt so he can trade it out for something that presumably won’t catch as much attention.

Taekwoon forgets the question as more of Hakyeon’s skin is exposed.

“Taekwoon?” Hakyeon asks, fingers poised over the last button, “Dinner?”

Taekwoon snaps back to reality and forces himself to turn around and dig through his own bag under the guise of making sure everything is still inside, but mostly so he can think straight. “Your pick,” he grunts out after what feels like too long of a delay.

“Hmm, we just had pizza,” Hakyeon says lightly, “so let’s just continue the usual tradition of barbecue.”

Taekwoon chances a glance back to him and is both relieved and saddened to see him in a simple olive colored t-shirt and jeans. “You don’t have any issues changing in front of people, do you?” he mumbles and slings his bag over his shoulder.

“You were the one stripping earlier,” Hakyeon returns, “but no, I was in theater and dance in high school. Stripping in semi-public places is second nature now.”

Taekwoon shudders internally at the thought. “I did sports, but locker rooms are different.”

“Yeah, way less girls,” Hakyeon laughs guiding Taekwoon towards their favorite spot.

Taekwoon snorts at that, “Not something I minded,” he snorts as he steps forward to hold the door for Hakyeon. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but he a feeling Hakyeon suspects his orientation even if they haven’t discussed it openly, but it’s still a little nerve wracking.

“That’s fair,” Hakyeon grins back at him easily. 

Once they’re settled and the meat is sizzling away, Hakyeon steers the conversation towards putting the finishing touches on designing their Final Craft. “I have the kiddie pool and the sand for decoration and we can use the paint from the Craft Closet to decorate one of the walls.”

Taekwoon nods, flipping one of the pieces in the center and moving it to the outside of the grill so it won’t burn. “I’ll stop by my parents house and pick up the picnic basket tonight, so I’ll bring that.”

“Did you forget it last night?”

“I didn’t go last night,” Taekwoon explains as he flips the meat one last time. “It was a long week and I just wanted some time to myself, so I finished my song and...relaxed,” he finishes avoiding saying that he watched Hakyeon’s videos.

“Is everything alright?”

Hakyeon’s tone is concerned and that is not what Taekwoon wants. “It’s fine, really,” he says reassuringly. “Sometimes I just need some quiet. Now, let’s stop talking about me and eat,” Taekwoon deflects pulling pieces of meat off the grill and piling them on Hakyeon’s plate.

Hakyeon sighs, but nods and begins eating.

Taekwoon wakes Sunday to a text from Hakyeon reminding him that he needs to make like Little Red Riding Hood and remember to bring the picnic basket. Taekwoon rolls his eyes, but sets it in the hallway right next to his shoes so it doesn’t get left behind anyway. He texts a picture to Hakyeon as a response, who sends him a thumbs up emoji in return. He feels a little silly on the bus later with the basket in his lap as he sips from his travel mug, but he ignores the curious stares and focuses on watching the world slip past through the windows. With the extra work from Taejoon’s presentation behind him, Taekwoon hopes that the rest of the competition will just be fun instead of compounding the stress he already feels in his everyday life. 

“My, Little Girl, what big hands you have,” Hakyeon says as soon as Taekwoon steps into the green room.

“That’s now how the story goes,” Taekwoon counters setting the basket down and dumping his stuff by Hakyeon’s bag before taking the unoccupied chair next to him again. “That thing is annoying to carry around,” he grumps.

“I’m paraphrasing,” Hakyeon shrugs. “And you don’t get a right to complain. I had to bribe Wonshik to pick me up this morning because I had to bring a kiddie pool and 187 kilos of sand. I thought he was going to kick me off the show.”

“That’s…a lot of sand,” Taekwoon replies momentarily awed by the image of more sand than two of him put together.

“I could have gotten away with more, but I’m not trying to spend all of my money,” Hakyeon laughs.

“Was it expensive? I can pay you back for some of it,” Taekwoon offers, half rising out of his chair as if to fetch his wallet. He’d been so wrapped up in himself and his work that he hadn’t even given a second thought to how much Hakyeon had been supplying over the weeks.

“It’s fine,” Hakyeon waves him off. “I can use it in a design later, which is why I requested extra empty bags. Once we’re done with filming today I’ll re-bag it and then I can store it.”

Taekwoon eyes him warily but lets it go for now. “Next week let’s try not to need anything too expensive,” he proposes. 

“Great idea,” Hakyeon laughs.

They settle back into an easy silence as the stylists get to work on them. Hakyeon isn’t wearing his summer getup yet, but Taekwoon has come prepared this time, tank top already settled over his lanky frame underneath his sleeveless shirt. He watches as Hakyeon’s stylist finishes with him and sets him free. To Taekwoon’s surprise, Hakyeon strides over to his bag and once again pulls his t-shirt over his head without a second thought. He immediately averts his eyes from Hakyeon’s form in the mirror, but closes them tightly when he sees the blush starting to cover his own face. 

“Oh my god,” his own stylist laughs when she sees the blush forming, “You two will be the death of us all,” she snorts swiping foundation over his reddening cheeks. 

Taekwoon mumbles something about not knowing what she’s talking about, but his eyes stray to Hakyeon in the mirror. He lets out a squeak of surprise as he catches Hakyeon pull his shorts up over the swell of his ass, boxer briefs disappearing under the bold pattern. He immediately slaps a hand over his mouth to mask the sound, but the stylist has to sit down she’s laughing so hard at him. He pouts at the mirror and at Hakyeon’s confused expression within where he’s turned around watching them curiously.

“Please stop making me laugh so much,” the stylist requests when she can finally breathe again.

Taekwoon glowers at her and focuses his gaze on his own blazing face in the mirror, silently determined not to make an even bigger fool of himself for the time being.

Hakyeon sinks back into the chair next to Taekwoon, oblivious of the situation, and waits for Taekwoon to be finished.

When they finally emerge onto the lot floor, Hongbin snorts at their outfits and Hakyeon gives him an aggressive hug in return. Taekwoon laughs as Hongbin slinks away in retreat. They take their places at their designated table and wait for filming to truly begin for the day. They don’t have long to wait since Jaehwan and Wonshik walk onto set just as Taekwoon shrugs off his cardigan. 

“Can we have all contestants to the front please?” Hongbin calls from the side of the room. 

He and Hakyeon take their marks on the line, waiting patiently for the others to join.

“Are you excited for today’s final craft?” Jaehwan asks the remaining contestants as they gather. At their nods of affirmation he grins, “We’re excited to see how you’ve each decided to portray the seasons today.” Once all of them are settled, Jaehwan beams, “Let’s get ready to craft!”

Taekwoon inhales a steadying breath and Hakyeon leans into him just slightly, a little reminder that he is there next to him.

“Welcome back to Craft It! Yesterday our Fall team won the ten minute advantage, but the rest of our teams are still very much in this. Some are still more enthusiastic than others as well,” Jaehwna snorts.

The cameras zoom in on Hakyeon and Taekwoon, Hakyeon grinning and throwing his left hand on Taekwoon’s shoulder, raising his right leg dramatically and throwing a smoldering look straight at the lens. Taekwoon remains still, staring at the camera, face carefully blank.

“And on that note, let’s get this challenge under way!”

Taekwoon and Hakyeon return to their station, waiting with the other two teams as Seolhyun and Taeyong get going on their Chuseok spread to represent Fall.

“Ready to help me dump a ton of sand into a kiddie pool?” Hakyeon asks gesturing over to their room, woefully empty save for a pile of sandbags and a bright blue plastic swimming pool.

Taekwoon wrinkles his nose, “Sand gets everywhere,” he gripes.

“We can hose down after filming,” Hakyeon returns, eyes bright. “After the sand we should paint the wall so it looks like the sea,” he plows on, not giving Taekwoon a chance to address the previous comment.

“You bought paint too?” Taekwoon nearly squeaks, distress lacing his voice.

“There’s paint in the closet, remember?” Hakyeon laughs. “We’ll start with the first coat of paint, then I’ll make some sea creatures to decorate while it dries. Do you think you can handle cutting a palm tree or two out of butcher paper? ”

“Sure,” Taekwoon shrugs. “What is butcher paper though?”

Hakyeon’s laugh bubbles out of him and he reaches over, ruffling Taekwoon’s hair slightly. “I love this confidence. Butcher paper is just special paper that is coated so that it doesn’t absorb liquids as easily. It was made originally for actual butchers, but now people use it for crafting purposes as well.”

“Spring, Summer, Winter, your time starts now!” Jaehwan calls interrupting them.

“Just show me what it looks like and I’ll figure it out,” Taekwoon replies following Hakyeon to their room to start the task of filling the pool with sand.

Between the two of them it only takes about twenty minutes to fill the pool and slide it out of the way. Taekwoon follows Hakyeon to the supply closet and they grab several shades of paint as well as brown and green paper and pull off a few meters worth of each. Hakyeon also grabs a few skeins of yarn in red, yellow, and teal before going back to their area.

There are seven canisters, all in varying shades of blue, green, tan and white. Taekwoon takes them two at a time, and on his final trip grabs the paint trays as well. Hakyeon meets him with the brushes and a drop cloth. Together they stare at the wall.

“Here’s my vision,” Hakyeon begins, spreading his arms wide. “We do a shore and the beach. Like, you’re sitting on the sand, which is our pool, and you’re staring out to sea. Once the paint is dry we’ll tape up your palm trees to add some decoration and flair.”

“Flair, right,” Taekwoon laughs. “What do you need me to do here?” 

“Start stirring the tan, and I’ll get the white so we know they’re mixed. Then we’ll check and see how much time is left. How much do you need to start on the food?”

“At least an hour for the chicken and probably another for the gimbap.”

Hakyeon nods thoughtfully, “I’ll help with the cocktails and dessert, so we should be fine for time.

The mural begins quickly, a layer of darker tan at the bottom blended with a lighter shade as it goes up. Taekwoon doesn’t feel too upset when he realizes that Hakyeon is trying to be subtle about the way he’s following along Taekwoon’s attempts to blend and really smoothing it out so it looks right. “Do you just want me to stop trying to blend it?” he asks after a few minutes.

“Um, would you mind?” Hakyeon asks with a small wince.

Taekwoon huffs out a laugh and just starts painting in broad strokes in return, Hakyeon’s deft hand following behind and blending with ease. They work like that until they have transitioned from tan to cream and Hakyeon deems it time to start on the water.

“One hour down, Contestants!” Jaehwan screeches behind them causing them both to jump.

“I should—”

“You should—”

They both cut off, laughing. 

“You should go get started on food, I’ll join you once I have this wall done,” Hakyeon says plucking the paintbrush from Taekwoon’s hand.

“This is just an excuse to get me to stop painting,” Taekwoon gripes, but smiles at the other as he willingly hands the brush over. He returns to their kitchen area and begins to pull out the ingredients he requested from the shopping bag and refrigerator. He starts with getting the rice going in the rice cooker so he can prep his vegetables and get his gimbap assembled. He slices the skirt steak into long strips, trimming the fat off as he goes, and marinades it in a mixture of garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper while the rice cooks. He sets it aside so he can focus on making thin strips of egg. He cracks three eggs and scrambles them with a bit of milk before pouring them in a thin layer to coat the bottom of a hot pan and waiting for them to solidify. Once the bottom is cooked, he gently flips the whole thing, surprising even himself when the disc of egg remains in tact. He lets the other side cook quickly before sliding it out onto a waiting plate. 

With the eggs set aside cooling, Taekwoon starts in on washing and cutting the carrots that will help to fill out the rolls along with pickled radishes. He cuts both into matchsticks and sets them aside so he can deal with the rice, seasoning it and getting it spread out so can cool enough to roll up with the rest. The steak doesn’t need much of his attention while it’s cooking, so he steals a glance at Hakyeon across the studio and sees the beach mural on the wall coming to life with clouds and possibly even a bird on the horizon. Hakyeon’s bright smile as he steps back and admires his own work makes Taekwoon smile as well. The camera sweeping in to get a closeup of him pulls Taekwoon from the moment though. He shifts his focus from Hakyeon and turns back to the steak, checking on it to make sure it isn’t burning. While it finishes, he cuts the eggs into thin strips to layer inside the rolls.

Once all of the components are ready, Taekwoon begins assembling his rolls of gimbap. He takes a sheet of seaweed and lays it out on a bamboo mat, then adds a layer of rice, then a bit of each filling, Rolling the first one is always tricky, but it holds together fairly well and he leaves it in a long roll to be cut later. He makes three more before he pops them all in the refrigerator to firm up until he slices them.

Moving onto making the chicken requires a bit of a change in thought. The breading is easy, so while the oil heats up, he gets his sauce together like his mom taught him, so he can coat it right out of the second fry. He’s in the zone, making sure that the chicken is cooking well during the initial fry. By the time he is finally tossing his wings in sauce, Hakyeon is wandering over and inhaling deeply.

“This smells amazing,” Hakyeon says reaching out to snag one of the wings Taekwoon is placing into an open container.

Taekwoon instinctively smacks his hand away, pushing the container of wings further away. “Not only are these about eight hundred degrees, the judges need to have some first. You can eat leftovers as usual,” he explains to the wounded look Hakyeon throws him.

“You made a ton though and they only ever eat one or two,” Hakyeon whines staring at the chicken longingly.

“You can have some of the ends from the gimbap,” Taekwoon offers instead in an effort to appease.

Hakyeon continues pouting, but opens his mouth expectantly, making no move to reach for the proffered food.

Taekwoon stares at him in shock for a full three seconds before gingerly taking one of the pieces and placing it in Hakyeon’s open mouth. He colors at the way Hakyeon’s lips wrap around the food and it disappears inside. He clears his throat and turns away, deciding now is a great time to rinse out his sauce bowl so it doesn’t require soaking for hours.

“That’s really good, Taekwoonie,” Hakyeon hums happily.

“Thanks,” Taekwon replies, finally feeling like he can speak without making a fool of himself. “Sorry I’ve been stuck over here so long. How is the room looking?”

Hakyeon waves a hand dismissively, “You’ve been busy, and the room looks great. I finished the mural and started crocheting a few little sea creatures to really maximize our beach theme. I can make some small fish and other things pretty quickly. What food is left to be done?”

“I was going to make patbingsu for dessert,” Taekwoon says, opening the refrigerator and grabbing the fruit.

“My favorite!” Hakyeon chirps happily. “Can I help?”

“Please,” Taekwoon says thrusting a whole pineapple at him.

Hakyeon laughs, taking a knife and attacking the pineapple with vigor, not exactly making the neatest cuts, but he gets the job done and Taekwoon only fears for Hakyeon’s fingers a few times during the destruction. He lines kiwi and banana up for Hakyeon and sends up a silent prayer that the other keeps all of his digits while he works on opening the can of azuki beans and gets the syrup ready to cook them in. Once the beans are simmering with sugar and vanilla, he glances over to make sure Hakyeon still has all of his appendages. Thankfully he does.

“You gave me the hard job, didn’t you?” Hakyeon asks as he cuts a kiwi in half and scoops it out of the skin.

“You wanted to help,” Taekwoon shrugs and grabs the bananas, peeling them quickly and lining them up so he can slice them all at once.

“That’s…faster than doing it one at a time,” Hakyeon complains as he watches Taekwoon work.

“The perks of being self sufficient in a kitchen,” Taekwoon quips. He revels in the way Hakyeon’s jaw drops open and the mild offense that crosses his features. Teasing him is really fun he decides.

Just as Hakyeon goes to argue, Jaehwan’s voice cuts him off. “One hour, fifteen minutes left, crafters!”

“We’ll need to save the shaving of the ice until closer to time..maybe even for the judges, so there’s not much left to do over here but pack the basket,” Taekwoon says.

“Great, we don’t have too much left to do in the room either. I feel good about this week,” Hakyeon beams back before giving him a small wave and returning to their room.

Taekwoon checks the chicken and finds that it is cool enough to cover, so he packs that and the gimbap away in containers. He removes the beans from the heat and sets them aside to cool while he opens the tteok and packs it and the fruit away in more containers. He stashes all of the food in the refrigerator to be packed into the basket or arranged on the counter later. 

When Taekwoon returns to the room Hakyeon is settled on the floor working away on some sort of yarn creature, so Taekwoon heads over to the paper they stashed earlier. He spreads the brown paper out in the far corner and gives it a hard look, before returning to their station and retrieving a pencil and a large pair of scissors. He draws inspiration from the palm trees he’s seen in the movies, deciding that long skinny trunks would be best to really give the tropical vibe they are going for and allow for more of the mural to be seen. He makes his first line, then another, happy enough that he immediately cuts it out and holds it up against the wall. “Hey Hakyeonnie,” he calls out mindlessly to the other who has the skein of yellow yarn in his lap and what looks like a shallow bowl made out of yarn. When he looks up, his hair falls a little over his eyes and Taekwoon smiles at the image. “Is this tall enough?” he asks holding it against the wall to demonstrate. 

“Looks good!” Hakyeon replies setting down the yarn to give him a thumbs up. “How many are you making? Two?”

Taekwoon nods, holding up two fingers to confirm, then pulls the paper down to lay it across another section of brown paper so he can trace around it instead of trying to draw another one. Once he’s done with the trunks, he sets them aside in favor of working on leaves. He goes back to the craft closet to see if there is anything he can use or trace, but comes up empty handed. For plan B he grabs their team iPad and searches for an easy leaf pattern and settles on cutting out ovals, then cutting slits in them to mirror the fan part. Once again he makes a template, then folds his paper over a few times so he can cut several out at once instead of doing it one at a time. 

By the time he has enough leaves for both of his palms, they only have forty-five minutes left. He turns to see Hakyeon using white fluff to stuff whatever he had made with the yarn and walks over to inspect it. “What’s that?” he asks as Hakyeon sets the stuffing aside and uses a large blunt needle to begin stitching it together.

“A jellyfish!” Hakyeon replies proudly as he sews. “I have a couple of fish and another jellyfish over there in the sand already,” he says pointing at their pool. 

Taekwoon walks over and smiles at the colorful little creatures. “Maybe we should build them a sand castle,” he jokes.

“If we had more time, I would love to do that,” Hakyeon sighs wistfully. “Now, let’s get those trees up!”

They work together, laying the trees down on the floor and taping the backs so they can stand. He lets Hakyeon dictate leaf placement, taping and arranging where he is told. With fifteen minutes left, they have the room basically finished. Hakyeon sends Taekwoon back to the kitchen area to pack the picnic basket while he raids the craft closet once more, coming back with a few accessories from the props section. He blows up a beach ball and finds a couple of folding chairs, placing them around the pool of sand and sets two pairs of oversized sunglasses, a couple of leis, and a big floppy hat, most likely photo booth props, on the seats and the edge of the pool.

Taekwoon walks over, picnic basket packed with the food and plastic plates, cups, and cutlery. He sets it down between the two chairs just as time is winding down. “We need to scrap the cocktails,” Hakyeon says sadly. “There’s not enough time for mixing and we can’t use the excuse of them melting like the ice for the patbingsu.”

When time is called, Hakyeon hooks an arm around Taekwoon’s shoulders and guides him back to their station to wait their turn. Taekwoon finds himself leaning into the touch and wonders if Hakyeon notices or cares. Once they’re settled back, Hakyeon whips the flower crown out from nowhere and places it Taekwoon’s head before he can stop him.

“To complete your look,” Hakyeon grins just as the judges approach.

“We were wondering where the flower crown went!” Jaehwan greets as he nears their station.

“It’s delicate, like our Taekwoonie, so he kept it off while he was cooking,” Hakyeon grins.

Taekwoon elbows him hard in return.

“If violence is his love language he must really like you then,” Heechul says with a grin.

Taekwoon splutters, eyes going wide, but Jaehwan saves him.

“Why don’t we get to the judging before more serious bodily harm can occur?” Jaehwan suggests, giving his friend a meaningful look.

Taekwoon huffs in response, but gestures to the kitchen area, “We’re going to start in the kitchen because one of our elements needed to stay frozen.”

Hakyeon leads the procession to the kitchenette and starts explaining while Taekwoon sets up the shaved ice machine and pulls a block of ice out of the freezer. 

“Today we begin our taste of summer with the ultimate taste of summer, patbingsu!” he grins.

Taekwoon sets a bowl under the output area and looks at the judges, “Sorry if it gets loud for a minute,” he says before he turns the machine on. Five minutes later, four bowls of shaved ice sit in front of each of the judges and Jaehwan. “We’re doing a DIY one where you choose which toppings and how much of everything you want to put on,” he explains as he gestures to the small containers of each of the ingredients—the kiwi, pineapple, banana, adzuki beans, store-bought tteok, and a can of condensed milk.”

“It would be better if they were already made,” Kibum says as he pours condensed milk over his ice.

“You just like complaining. This way you get exactly what you want,” Soljin counters loading her shaved ice with extra slices of kiwi.

Hakyeon grins smugly at Kibum who is pouring condensed milk on his own concoction so luckily, in Taekwoon’s opinion anyway, he misses the look. 

“Once you’ve finished making your treats, please follow us to our tropical beach destination,” Hakyeon says sweeping his arm toward their room. 

Munching happily, Jaehwan leads them to the beach scene. “I feel tropical already,” he grins slurping up a tteok.

“That’s what we were hoping for! As you can see we tried to give you the full feeling of a summer at the seaside without leaving the bustling city of Seoul,” Hakyeon explains. “We painted a seascape mural, complete with palm trees created by Taekwoonie, and accessorized with some of the props from the craft closet to let you dip your toes in the sand while enjoying an excellent picnic lunch, also lovingly created by Taekwoonie.”

“I guess it’s a dessert first day?” Heechul asks, eyeing the picnic basket.

“Those days are the best days,” Taekwoon shrugs as he reaches down to open the picnic basket. “I made gimbap with strip steak, eggs, carrots and pickled radish, and fried chicken,” he says as he opens the containers and dishes out a few servings of each dish. When he looks back at the panel, each of them is wearing one of the accessories they stashed on the chairs and he snorts a laugh at their serious faces in contrast to the accessories.

“This chicken is amazing,” Soljin comments snagging another one.

“I’ll have to thank my mom, she taught me to make it when I was younger,” Taekwoon deflects, cheeks coloring a bit from the praise.

“I also like the gimbap, it’s light enough that it wouldn’t make you feel too gross eating it outside during summer,” Kibum adds.

“You’ve once again separated yourselves for the majority of the tasks,” Heechul points out.

“I helped to cut some of the fruits for the patbingsu, and Taekwoon helped to paint the room and add finishing touches to the mural,” Hakyeon replies.

“But again, most of the challenge you two were separated. We talked about that week one.”

“I understand your point, but still fail to see how relying on our strengths is a bad thing,” Hakyeon sighs. “You’re raving about Taekwoon’s food and if he was with me decorating, you wouldn’t be able to eat these things.”

“And Hakyeon made jellyfish,” Taekwoon adds quietly. At the judges’ looks of confusion, he stoops to pick one of the stuffed creatures Hakyeon made out of the pool. “Jellyfish, and other fish,” Taekwoon says again holding it out. “Hakyeon made them.”

“It’s adorable!” Jinsol squeals thrusting the plate she is holding at Heechul and making grabby hands for the jellyfish. 

Taekwoon hands it over easily, amused at her excitement as she gives it a quick hug. “If he was helping me in the kitchen more he wouldn’t have been able to make those.”

“You can keep that one,” Hakyeon laughs. “I made more.”

“I’ll take good care of Jelly,” she tells him solemnly.

“Before she adopts any more of their set, can we move on to Spring, please?” Kibum asks Jaehwan.

“Good idea,” Jaehwan laughs. “I’m also out of patbingsu, so I hope Spring has something tasty for us,” he says forlornly. 

Heechul pats his shoulder as the four of them walk away leaving Taekwoon and Hakyeon alone.

“Now can I eat?” Hakyeon asks sinking into a chair and holding up the container of wings, looking at Taekwoon hopefully.

“As much as you like,” Taekwoon replies grabbing a wing himself and taking the other chair.

They both snack happily sitting on the “beach” while the judges finish their rounds. Eventually Hakyeon suggests they return to the kitchen area to make their own patbingsu to finish off their meal. Taekwoon laughs at Hakyeon loading his up with extra condensed milk and banana, while he goes for more pineapple than anything else. He is really starting to enjoy the challenges and the time with Hakyeon it affords him. He knows that he should eventually broach the topic of his interest in Hakyeon, but he is still worried he is mixing up his signals. After all, Hakyeon is an affectionate person, so the little touches he gets from him could be entirely unconscious. He decides to wait a little longer, test out the waters a little more, before he makes a move.

When the judging panel finally returns, the contestants take their marks and wait to see who survives the week.

“Since we only have four teams left, the decisions are getting more and more difficult every time,” Kibum says. 

Heechul and Soljin nod in agreement.

“That being said,” Jaehwan cuts in, “a decision has to be made. Judges, can you tell us which team is on top this week?”

“While each of our teams did incredibly well, one team stood out and helped us truly feel as if we had stepped out of the city for a while,” Kibum said.

Taekwoon glances down as Hakyeon’s hand snakes around his wrist, his grip firm as they wait in anticipation. His heartbeat speeds up several beats from the contact.

“Congratulations go again to Hakyeon and Taekwoon!” Jaehwan announces excitedly.

Taekwoon breaks into a grin and Hakyeon pulls him into a hug in celebration. “I didn’t think we would win again,” He confesses quietly into Hakyeon’s ear and takes an extra second, savoring the feeling of Hakyeon wrapped around him and squeezes gently before he pulls back, pink dusting his cheeks once again.

They wait quietly as Spring and Winter are eventually announced as the bottom two and finally as Jeohyun and Minggyu are sent home. Taekwoon and Hakyeon congratulate both of them for what they accomplished in the competition, Hakyeon praising the snow globes they created to help furnish their version of a winter wonderland. Taekwoon waves goodbye as they leave and returns his attention to where Jaehwan stands, ready to announce the next chalenge theme.

“First I want to again congratulate the three remaining teams. So far your works have been outstanding. Your next competition will be to take a step through time and throw us a party that conveys a specific time, complete with decorations and food that represent that specific era. Please send up one person to act as your team’s representative and discover your decade so we can take a trip in a time machine.”

Hakyeon’s shove has Taekwoon falling forward and he turns to give him a scathing look in return.

“Taekwoon has an excellent choosing streak going, so he’s ours.”

Taekwoon rolls his eyes but strolls up to Jaehwan to choose one of the paint stirrers nonetheless. “1980’s” he reads off quietly. 

After the other teams have chosen the 1960’s and 1970’s respectively, filming finally ends and they are free to go. 

“I have a great idea for this,” Hakyeon says after they’ve packed up their bags and are heading out. “We’re going to try and twist it again, they loved that last time.”

Taekwoon hums in agreement, following Hakyeon outside. “Sure, whatever you think,” he says happily. He’s just glad to be guaranteed another week with Hakyeon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized I named the last chapter differently than the others so I'm going to have to go back and fix it now. I hope you enjoy this one and how much art is imitating life with Hakyeon's cabbage cutting adventures on his channel and flower crown Taekwoon from the Muse fanmeets. I need you to know I wrote those into existence and I'm going to pretend I can take credit. 
> 
> I hope you're enjoying and I Sailor Scout promise that actual romance is coming very soon.


	6. Episode Five: Time Machine

Monday morning Hakyeon wakes up with a little extra pep in his step. He feels lighter on his feet than he has in ages, and makes excellent time on his jog. Winning another episode right after coming in second place has him feeling on top of the world. Not to mention the fact that Taekwoon has been more open these last few days and he feels like he’s finally making progress in getting the other to really open up to him. After he gets home and has run through his yoga routine and showered, he grabs his phone as he settles down for breakfast. Texting Taekwoon has become one of his favorite morning routines, and he is hoping the other will be freer to respond now that he’s only doing his own work.

What do you think of when you think of the 80s?

_Not having a cell phone_

Hakyeon rolls his eyes.

You are hilarious. Let’s just have our concept be slipping through the fabric of time to a reality where you tell jokes the entire time we won’t even have to decorate anything

_I think of weird hair and old cars_

He can practically hear the sigh in Taekwoon’s words.

That’s a good start. What do you think about doing an American style 80s theme?

_American style?_

Have you watched Stranger Things? Sort of like that but…brighter?

_I’ve never watched that. I just searched up American 80s party and it’s a lot_

Bad idea then?

_There is a lot to work with so I think it’s fine. Let’s do that one._

Hakyeon feels relief surge through him.

I’ll start gathering inspiration after I re-paint this lamp.

He attaches a “before” picture and hits send, then goes back to work.

Hakyeon sets up an 80s themed playlist as he goes through the prep of filming his next video for his channel. He had stopped at IKEA the previous week and found a light fixture that he liked, but was the wrong color. So he’s going to prime and paint it and talk his viewers through the process of making it fit his needs rather than just settling for what is offered or available.

He starts by moving his coffee table out of the way and laying down a layer of protective plastic so he doesn’t ruin his floors. He sets up his tripod and starts filming, knowing he will be cutting and voicing over the video, he doesn’t bother to turn off his music while he works. He takes the lamp from the box, it is three tiers and a cream color that will just look yellow against the white of his walls, which is why he needs to paint it. Taking painter’s tape, he carefully covers the inside so it doesn’t drip into the socket, Next he covers the metal fastenings so that they aren’t caught in the crossfire of painting. He starts painting with a base coat of primer, so he can be sure that the final coat won’t look splotchy when he’s done. After the primer dries he puts on his final coat, using a wide sponge brush to avoid the bristle lines of a regular brush and to get a more even coating faster. Before the paint dries completely he needs to remove the tape so it comes away leaving clean lines instead of pulling up the paint with it; he tweezers he uses help to save him from getting fingerprints in the paint. He leaves the lamp to dry completely, taking a break to make a cup of tea and go through his emails. 

The last thing he films for the day is him hanging the lamp and turning it on. He’ll export and edit the video later because he has a consultation meeting with his next potential client. Before he leaves, he takes a quick selca with the lamp and sends it off to Taekwoon with a “finished!”

\------

Tuesday morning Taekwoon is going through his files when a text from Hakyeon comes through.

How do you feel about trying to make cookies again?

_Not very good_

This is a chance for redemption. Will you consider?

Taekwoon heaves a sigh and stares at his desk. He wants to try simply because Hakyeon wants it, and that thought has him pausing. He realizes how easily he gives in to Hakyeon’s requests, which is strange because he’s only know the other for a month and that’s not how he usually works. He still wants to though so he shakes his head and fires off a response.

_Fine but you help this time._

Of course!

The reply is immediate and Taekwoon smiles down at his phone.

“Is that your boyfriend?”

Sanghyuk’s voice startles him and has Taekwoon jumping in his seat. “He’s not my boyfriend,” he replies spinning in his chair to face the intruder.

“What are you waiting for then? Hongbin says they have a bet going on how long it will take,” Sanghyuk grins.

Taekwoon freezes, eyes going wide and he stares at the younger.

“Whoa, relax, I was joking. No one has made any bets,” the younger soothes holding his hands up in defense. “I’m just surprised because you guys seem really close from what I’ve seen on TV and he’s gotten you to do some things that would have gotten lesser men killed. Like wearing cat ears and dinosaur tails.”

Taekwoon lets out a frustrated noise, running his hands through his hair and messing it up. He throws a surreptitious look around then leans closer, lowering his voice for fear of his business being broadcast all over the office, “I keep thinking that he’s maybe into me, but then I’ll see him with Hongbin, or Wonshik and start to think that maybe he’s just like that with everyone. Even Jaehwan sometimes,” he sighs.

“There’s an easy way to test your theory you know,” the younger says sagely.

“What’s that?” Taekwoon asks, curiosity lacing his voice.

“Ask him, idiot,” Sanghyuk says thumping his forehead then turning on his heel. “I look forward to seeing what he talked you into wearing this week,” he throws over his shoulder as he saunters out of Taekwoon’s cube and rounds the corner back to his own.

“I’m going to kill him,” Taekwoon mutters, turning back to his work.

Instead of killing his coworker, Taekwoon spends his morning combing through spreadsheets and exporting numbers, wishing he was anywhere else but stuck in this office. At lunch, he wanders to the break room to heat up his lunch and scroll his phone. Sanghyuk’s voice keeps echoing in his head as he chews and he finally breaks down to text Hakyeon.

_We should do a test run of the cookies this week. Are you free tomorrow or Thursday? You can come over again if you want?_

Thursday is better for me since I’m meeting Wonshik and Hongbin for dinner tomorrow.

_Okay. Thursday._

Don’t be surprised if your cat goes missing after I leave because she loves me more than you now

Taekwoon snorts at the text.

_You wish_

He spends the rest of his break looking at inspiration and writing down a grocery list, deciding on an idea that will probably surprise his partner.

As he’s wandering the aisles of the market after work, his phone rings. He glances down to see his mom’s photo and immediately answers it.

“Hello?” he asks sliding to the side so he doesn’t block the whole aisle.

“Hi, my favorite son,” his mom greets back.

“Is everything okay? Is Noona okay with the baby?”

“Everything is fine, I’m just calling to talk to you,” she assures him.

He heaves a sigh and continues his shopping. “You can’t call me like that,” he protests.

“I can’t call my own son? I wonder where you got these theatrics from,” she laughs. “I’m calling to see if I need to finally plan for an extra person at dinner Friday since we’re still waiting to meet Hakyeon,” she says airily. 

“Mom, please,” he says grabbing several limes and adding those to his cart. 

“It’s a simple request, and if he is busy, I understand, but we want to meet him. He seems important to you.”

He feels himself color, then sighs, feeling himself giving in, “He’s coming over Thursday to do a test run on cookies so I can ask then,”

“I’ll just plan on an extra then,” she hums. “It’ll be nice to meet him finally.”

“He’s not _that_ great,” Taekwoon mumbles back while searching for cat treats for Mochi. 

“It doesn’t look like you think that watching you two on television,” she teases.

“Mom, please,” he begs feeling his cheeks heating up again.

“It’s just been a while since you’ve brought someone home. We want to see you happy,” she says gently.

“Me bringing anyone home doesn’t automatically mean I am dating them,” he hisses back, keeping his words carefully vague as he passes other shoppers.

“Hyejin has Minyul calling him “Uncle Hakyeon” already, so I would prepare yourself, and him, for that,” she laughs.

“Sorry, he said no, he can’t make it this week. It’ll just be us for dinner,” he lies quickly.

“Alright, I’ll see you both Friday then. Love you,” she laughs ignoring him.

“Love you too,” he huffs before hanging up.

_Friday is going to be painful_ he thinks making his way to the checkout.

\------

Hakyeon’s dinner with Wonshik and Hongbin starts normal enough, with the three of them settling in over a couple of pizzas and both of the younger two taking jabs at Hakyeon for being the “missing old man” he is.

“We never see you anymore,” Wonshik says, eyes narrowing, “You’re always with Taekwoon, if you’re not working and that’s suspicious.”

“You’re stupid,” Hakyeon returns taking a sip of his drink.

“Jaehwan says Taekwoon is the same way though. He never talks to him anymore unless it’s about songwriting because he’s so busy with you.

“He’s busy with _your_ show. The one you cast both of us on!” Hakyeon shoots back, arms folded across his chest. “I don’t know why you and Jaehwan are talking about us so often anyway.

“You don’t talk to the people you’re dating?” Wonshik asks, brow furrowed.

Hakyeon’s jaw drops. He stares back at Wonshik, eyes, wide, then turns to Hongbin, ready to share his confused astonishment, but the other is sipping at his own drink casually. “What do you mean you’re dating him?” he demands.

“I know you’re old, hyung, but dating is something your generation says too,” Wonshik replies with a scoff.

“Kim Wonshik, if you do not stop sassing me and answer the question I will tell everyone in this restaurant about the time you called me at three in the morning to come kill a cockroach for you so that you could pee in your bathroom. And how you didn’t make it,” Hakyeon hisses at him.

This time Wonshik’s jaw drops and Hongbin chokes on his own coke, reaching for a napkin to clean up the mess he’s made.

“I hate you,” Wonshik mutters. “I’ve known Jaehwan for a while from music stuff, but we hooked up right before filming started,” he mumbles. “So now we’re dating and get to make fun of you two for being so stupid.”

“Honestly, Hyuk and I do the same,” Hongbin adds with a casual raise of his glass.

“You’re dating him too?” Hakyeon squeaks drawing curious eyes, then remembers himself and lowers his voice, “What the hell is in the water at this studio?”

“We’re not dating, just sort of…friends with benefits?” Hongbin asks. “We have…itches that need to be scratched.”

“Kinky,” Wonshik grins.

Hongbin throws his balled up napkin at him.

“You both suck,” Hakyeon groans. “Listen, I would love to be dating Taekwoon, or even hooking up with him, but he’s just so hard to read. I think I can understand him most of the time, but then something will happen and he backs off and I feel like I’m at square one again.”

Wonshik hums sympathetically.

“I’m about to reach my breaking point and just go for it soon though,” Hakyeon adds, grabbing another slice of pizza and chomping down on it aggressively. 

“We only have a few more weeks of filming,” Wonshik replies, “better break sooner than later.”

That reminds Hakyeon of something he and Taekwoon had discussed the previous week. “Speaking of, Taekwoonie and I were talking about it before but I always forget to ask. The time isn’t adding up to us. We don’t have enough teams left to stretch filming out for three more weeks, so what’s the twist?” he asks.

“Not telling,” Wonshik replies easily. 

“But, best friend privileges!” Hakyeon protests.

“Contestant limit,” the other returns easily. “You find out when everyone else does. Speculate all you want but I’m not saying anything. And neither is Bin,” he adds shooting the youngest a warning glare.

“I like watching him try and work it out too much to spoil it, it’s cute when he gets that little line between his eyebrows,” Hongbin replies, grinning at Hakyeon.

“Those are called wrinkles. Because he is old,” Wonshik replies, ducking the new napkin Hakyeon throws at the words.

Hakyeon huffs and drops the subject realizing he won’t get anywhere tonight.

\------

When Taekwoon gets in the door on Thursday evening, he steps out of his shoes, drops his bag in the entry then takes a quick look around to see what he needs to do in the hour he has before Hakyeon is supposed to show up. Mochi trots in, so he takes a second to lean down and pet her. “You going to be friendly again?” he asks stroking her ears.

She blinks back at him before flopping over onto her side and swishing her tail. Obligingly he squats down and pets her, running his fingers through her soft fur. “Yeah, he is easy to like, isn’t he?” he asks dreamily.

Minutes later he’s offering a soft apology and standing back up so he can straighten up the apartment a little. He snags the coffee cup he left on the table and brings it into the kitchen, washing it quickly before running the vacuum to get rid of the excess cat hair he has floating around. When his place looks as good as he can make it, he slips into his bedroom and changes from the slacks and button up he’s been wearing all day into soft black cotton pants and an oversized white long-sleeved shirt. He turns some music on as he preps a quick dinner of leftovers, choosing to eat right out of the container so he doesn’t have any extra dishes to wash later. Mochi stays at his feet the whole time hoping for any spills.

Twenty minutes later he’s laying the tupperware in the drying rack when there’s a soft knock at his door. Padding his way over, he looks through the peephole and smiles when he confirms that it’s Hakyeon on the other side. He takes a deep, steadying breath before twisting the door open. “Good evening,” he greets standing aside to let the other enter. “No more ferns?” he grins.

“Not this time. I thought about it, but I decided that if I started bringing you a plant every time I showed up soon you might live in a jungle,” Hakyeon grins back as he turns to take his shoes off and leave them in the entry alongside Taekwoon’s own.

Taekwoon is secretly glad because Hakyeon turning away means he missed the shocked look he is sure he couldn’t mask at the implications of Hakyeon’s words, thrown so casually at him. 

“I hope you ate already, because I just planned on making dessert,” he confesses as they step inside the apartment proper.

“I’m fine, I did.” Hakyeon confirms wandering over to the fern near the window and smiling, “it’s looking healthy still,” he says, turning the smile on Taekwoon.

“Do you doubt my abilities to keep a plant alive?” Taekwoon asks, eyes narrowing. “I helped my mom with her garden for years, so I can keep a simple fern alive, thank you,” he sniffs.

“I’m sorry,” Hakyeon grins, “I didn’t mean to offend your green thumb. Please forgive me.”

“I guess,” Taekwoon returns. He’s hovering near the couch, not sure if he should suggest jumping right into baking or sitting down in case Hakyeon wants to keep talking like this. He’s good with the talking.

“So, what kind of cookies did you have in mind for this week?” Hakyeon asks coming back to stand near Taekwoon.

That answers that question.

“Well when I was looking up the theme you suggested, I saw that the video game Tetris was introduced in the middle of the 80s, so I thought that would be good, if we did a bunch of the different shapes? They’re pretty simple, and smaller, so more would fit in the dehydrator at once,” he says. 

“That’s brilliant,” Hakyeon says, eyes bright. 

“I was also thinking,” Taekwoon begins, uncertainty creeping into his tone, “if we’re making cookies as a redemption thing, maybe making a cake would be good too? Nothing too big,” he adds before Hakyeon can react, “something small and simple. Maybe make it look like one of those boom boxes, so it isn’t overly complicated either.”

“It sounds like you really thought this out,” Hakyeon replies softly, “of course I think that’s a wonderful idea. Now, let’s get started.”

Taekwoon ushers him into the small kitchen, smiling sheepishly as Hakyeon takes it in fully for the first time. “Sorry it’s small,” he says.

“It has everything it needs, please don’t apologize,” Hakyeon replies kindly.

Taekwoon nods, then starts gathering the ingredients they need along with his hand mixer. “We’re doing another sugar cookie base, but I was thinking of flavoring them with lime zest?” he says retrieving the eggs from his refrigerator. He sets them on the counter next to the two sticks of butter and the rest of the dry ingredients he has on the counter already. “Can you measure out a cup of sugar and dump it in here?” he asks as he unwraps the first stick of butter and plops it into the bowl. Once they have both sticks of butter and the sugar in the bowl, Taekwoon turns on the mixer and creams them together while he has Hakyeon zesting four limes. He adds the flour last, putting it in in smaller increments so it doesn’t gum everything up.

When he’s done with the mixing, he looks over to Hakyeon intending to ask him for the zest, but bursts out laughing. Instead of zesting like he is supposed to, Hakyeon is crouched down on the floor petting Mochi who is nuzzling into his leg.

Hakyeon looks up at him sheepishly, “I got distracted.”

“I can see,” Taekwoon laughs. “Do you need me to zest?”

“No no, I got it,” Hakyeon says giving the cat one last scratch and righting himself. He washes his hands quickly, then finishes zesting the limes into the bowl Taekwoon set before him. 

Taekwoon rolls the dough, making sure the thickness is consistent throughout. 

“I like the little flecks of green in it,” Hakyeon says looking at the zest dotting the dough. 

“It’s…festive?” Taekwoon asks, moving the dough onto a tray. He moves to the freezer, setting the whole thing inside and shuts the door.

“How are we cutting out the shapes? Did you find a set of cutters?” Hakyeon asks.

“I didn’t think they would be that hard to freehand? Taekwoon shrugs. They’re all blocks of some sort, so it’s just a bunch of straight lines.

“We want consistency though, right?” Hakyeon asks. “We can make a template. Where is your parchment paper?”

Taekwoon retrieves the paper from where it’s set on the counter and tears off a large section and hands it to Hakyeon who is staring down at his phone screen.

“Okay, so it looks like there are five basic shapes, seven if you count the two that are just mirror images of each other,” Hakyeon says holding out his screen for Taekwoon to study.

“So we can just make double of the two that are mirrors?” Taekwoon asks.

Hakyeon studies the image, then shakes his head, “Sort of? If we flip them before baking it will be fine, but after baking the wrong side will be flat so they won’t look right if we decorate them.

Taekwoon nods. He lets Hakyeon work out the templates while he preheats the oven and uses the leftover food dyes he has from the disastrous cat cookies to start making seven different colors of royal icing to match the colors of the pieces.

“How neon should I try for?” he asks glancing down at the pink he has started.

“As neon as you can get without it tasting like chemicals?” Hakyeon shrugs. “Do you have scissors?”

Taekwoon digs in a drawer and produces a pair of scissors, then passes them to Hakyeon.

“Thanks,” Hakyeon mutters, completely focused on cutting each shape out of the parchment paper as accurately as possible. Once he’s finished, he takes the dough out of the freezer and works on making the first of the shapes, starting easy and going with the long rectangle first. He lays the cut out parchment on top of the dough nad carefully uses a knife to trace the shape.

Taekwoon watches his hands with fascination before he remembers himself and gets back to concocting the perfect shades of neon colors to compliment the cookies.

“These might be kind of fragile since they’re so small,” Hakyeon says when he’s done cutting out the first batch.”

“They shouldn’t have to travel far, so they should be fine. Well, this batch is going to travel,” Taekwoon amends as they lay them down on fresh parchment paper on top of the baking sheet. 

“What do you mean?” Hakyeon asks as Taekwoon opens the oven for him so he can slide the cookies inside.

“I’ve been testing my culinary experiments on my family before trying them at the studio,” Taekwoon explains as he sets the timer.

“Oh! That’s a great idea,” Hakyeon says.

Taekwoon sighs, this is where he asks Hakyeon. It’s the perfect opening, and if he doesn’t ask and just tells his mom that Hakyeon said no she will _know_ that he is lying and he will never live it down. “Speaking of,” he starts, watching as Hakyeon stoops to pet his cat once again. “If you’re free tomorrow, my mom wants you to come to dinner with us. My family is really curious to meet you, but only if you’re free,” he says quickly.

Hakyeon stares up at him, blinking for a long minute before his face breaks into a grin, “I would love to, but only if it’s not too short of notice,”

Taekwoon sags a little in relief, “No, my mom specifically called me to guilt me into asking you,” he admits not meeting Hakyeon’s eye.

“I’m not so sure why I’m special, but it will be my pleasure. Will you text me the address later?”

“Of course. Thank you,” Taekwoon says.

“It’s nothing to be thankful for, I’m actually excited to meet your family. Especially your mom and Minyul since they’re who you talk about so much.”

“They’ll be excited to meet you too,” Taekwoon replies. “But now I feel like I need to warn you, my noona, Minyul’s mom, she’s kind of…a lot? She may tease you or say something that might make you uncomfortable and I don’t want you to have a bad impression of her. She means well—”

“I told you I have older siblings as well, right? I am very aware of how the youngest is teased, so don’t worry about me. I don’t embarrass easily,” Hakyeon shrugs, then drops back down to the floor to pet Mochi again.

Taekwoon huffs out a laugh and nods, “Okay. Tomorrow then.”

After the cookies are out of the oven and cooling, Taekwoon takes hold of Hakyeon’s wrist and tugs him into the living room so he’s not still squatted on the floor hovering over the cat. 

“Don’t worry, she’ll follow you,” he laughs at the longing look the other sends Mochi after he makes them move.

As Taekwoon promised, Mochi follows them, jumping up on the couch between them and once again settling into Hakyeon’s lap after he is seated.

“Really, if she goes missing, don’t check my bag. Or my apartment,” Hakyeon says over the cat’s loud purrs.

Taekwoon shakes his head fondly. “Visit her when you want, but she is too spoiled to really leave me,” he returns. 

When the cookies are cool enough later, they go back into the kitchen. “Okay,” Taekwoon begins rolling up his sleeves, “I’m going to be honest. I didn’t fully think this through, to get the blocky look of Tetris pieces, I think we should try to get a fill coat on without a border and then try to do the square part after that dries. Knowing what I know after the last cookie attempt, the problem is I don’t have a dehydrator and these won’t be dry enough for a second coat until tomorrow,” he admits.

“So we get base coats on them tonight and you can bring the frosting tomorrow and we can finish them at your parents house,” Hakyeon shrugs like it’s the easiest thing in the world. “As long as they don’t mind us invading their kitchen, I mean. Or you could always do it when you get home and bring them yourself, but then they would get messed up in transit.”

“That’s perfect. Neither of them will mind, I’m sure, so we’ll just do it before dinner and they should be set enough by the time we’re ready for them,” Taekwoon beams back.

They divide and conquer in putting the base coat down. Between the two of them it takes another twenty minutes to get all of the cookies coated in the correct colored frosting. 

“How do we dry these?” Hakyeon asks surveying the counter full of cookies.

“Last time I just left them on the paper and covered them with plastic.” Taekwoon says. “I think there’s too many this time though.”

Hakyeon nods, then glances around the kitchen. “What if we use the parchment, and maybe some plates,” he says opening various cabinets until he finds what he’s looking for, “and flip them upside down so the cookies are sitting in the little lower part, and take chopsticks and keep them apart? Just stack them?” he asks.

“Oh,” Taekwoon says after a second of staring at Hakyeon’s invention. “I actually have this,” he says ducking down and digging in a lower cabinet, eventually re-emerging with a five tiered steaming basket. 

“That’s…easier” Hakyeon says returning the plate to where he found it.

Taekwoon grins at him and starts placing cookies in the various sections, mixing and matching so they all fit. After the lid is in place he smiles at the other, “Thank you again for helping me test these.”

“Wait,” Hakyeon says, turning to him wide eyed.

“What’s wrong?” Taekwoon stares back at him.

“We didn’t taste them!” Hakyeon cries with a laugh. He reaches for the steamer and opens the lid, grabbing a cookie for himself and popping the whole thing in his mouth.

Taekwoon watches him intently, waiting for a reaction.

“They’re good! The cookie isn’t too sweet so the frosting doesn’t make them gross. And the lime is unexpected and tangy, so it works!”

“Good to know,” Taekwoon replies in relief. He grabs a cookie and pops it into his own mouth to confirm. “Hopefully the family approves tomorrow.”

“They will,” Hakyeon assures him. He then glances down at his phone and winces, “It’s later than I realized and I have to meet a client early tomorrow, which means I have to wake up early so I can do my usual morning stuff,” Hakyeon says sadly.

“What morning stuff?” Taekwoon asks curiously as they drift towards the door.

“I go for a run, then come back and do a yoga session,” Hakyeon replies slipping on his shoes.

“Yoga?” Taekwoon asks wrinkling his nose.

“Hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Plus it makes me bendy, which can be useful,” Hakyeon winks as he twists the door open. “See you tomorrow, don’t forget to text me your parent’s address!” 

Taekwoon stares at the door, eyes wide as it clicks shut behind the other. He clears his throat and shuffles quickly toward the kitchen to switch off the lights, the idea of Hakyeon being bendy, and the possibilities that fact holds urging him to bed a little earlier than he anticipated.

Friday morning, Taekwoon lets his mom know that Hakyeon will officially be joining them for dinner and warns her about their plans to finish decorating the cookies. He texts Hakyeon at lunch to give him the address. His day passes quietly and quickly.

He leaves his apartment earlier than usual that afternoon, nervous for Hakyeon to meet his family and unsure about what to do with the jitters. He packs the bags of frosting, but almost forgets the cookies. He remembers to go grab them last second before giving Mochi a quick kiss and telling her he will be back later.

The bus ride feels longer than usual, his nerves warping time. He lets himself inside forty-five minutes earlier than he normally would and his appearance in the living room has Minyul cheering and his sister snickering at him. 

“Aww, our little Woonie is nervous for us to meet his boyfriend,” she coos.

“I wanna meet Uncle Hakyeon!” Minyul chirps from his side.

“We’re not dating, please don’t let him say that in front of him,” he begs his sister giving Minyul a one armed hug as he holds the cookies safely out of reach. 

“You’re so much fun to tease,” she cackles settling back in the chair. “Does he at least know you’re interested yet?”

“What makes you think I’m interested?” he asks shuffling a little as he waits for the answer.

“I know you. When we watch the episodes, I see how you look at him. Plus he is totally your type,” Taemi grins back.

Taekwoon ignores her, moving through the living room and into the kitchen to set the cookies down before he accidentally drops them. After they are safely on the counter, and the frosting is set beside them, he drops into a chair and bangs his head against the table, the sound loud in the silence of the kitchen.

“What are you doing? Be careful,” his mother says taking his chin in her hand and turning him to face her so she can inspect his forehead. 

“Regretting every choice I have made that lead to me being on this show,” he mumbles back. 

“Hush,” his mom says, leaning in and giving his forehead a kiss. “You’re happier these last few weeks than I’ve seen you in a while.”

“I’m not happy now. Noona keeps calling Hakyeon my boyfriend and Minyulie is still calling him “Uncle” and I’m going to call Hakyeon and tell him dinner is canceled if they don’t stop,” he whines.

“So dramatic,” she laughs shaking her head fondly. 

“Taemi, you’ve had your fun, please stop trying to embarrass your brother now,” she calls out.

“Fine,” Taemi huffs from the other room.

“Thank you,” Taekwoon replies gratefully. 

“Spoiled too,” his mother hums walking over to the refrigerator to pour herself a glass of water. She sits opposite her son at the table. 

“Anything we should know about him before dinner? Is he allergic to anything? Dislike any foods?”

Taekwoon scrunches his face up, thinking back to all of the meals they’ve shared, “He eats pretty much everything?” he asks. “We’ve had barbecue, pizza, and everything we’ve made on the show together, so I don’t think there’s anything,” he says.

“Good, I’ve started galbijjim for tonight,” she replies.

Taekwoon sighs happily, “Sounds delicious,” he says. “Do you need me to help with anything?”

“Hmm, peel and cut these carrots for me?” she asks pointing at the carrots on the counter.

He grabs the carrots, the peeler, and one of the organic waste bags they keep under the sink so he can peel directly into it.

“I finished a new song, last week,” he says as he begins to peel. “Want to hear it?”

“Of course,” his mom replies, turning to watch him.

He sings softly to her while he works and the time passes quickly. 

“That was beautiful,” she says beaming at him once he has finished.

He shrugs in reply, “I sent it to Jaehwan and he recorded his version. He also made a version that kept me in it and wants to release that too,” he confesses.

“You should let him. You are so talented, let people outside of us hear you sometime,” she urges.

“Maybe,” he says noncommittally and goes back to work. In the middle of cubing the carrots, the doorbell rings and he freezes, throwing his mom a startled look.

“Go greet him, I’ll finish this up,” she laughs at the look on his face. 

He nods, rushes to rinse his hands and cringes when he hears his sister open the door and greet Hakyeon. He wipes his hands, then makes his way to the living room to try and keep the introductions as painless as possible for himself. 

What he walks in on is Hakyeon slipping his feet into guest slippers while holding a large gift bag in his hand. He looks good, in gray slacks and a soft coral sweater, and Taekwoon has to tear his eyes from the sight of him. 

“You found it,” he says stepping forward to greet him.

“I did. This place is nice,” he says glancing around.

“We like it,” Taemi replies. 

Hakyeon huffs out a laugh then holds out the bag, “Like the good guest I am, I brought presents.”

Minyul, who had been tucked away in a corner watching Hakyeon with wide eyes, immediately perks up. “Presents?” he asks scurrying forward.

“Presents,” Hakyeon confirms. “Are you Minyul?” he asks, kneeling down to look him in the eye.

Minyul nods, threading an arm around Taekwoon’s leg so he’s half peeking out from behind him.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Hakyeon,”

“Hi, Uncle Hakyeon,” Minyul replies immediately.

Taekwoon winces, opens his mouth to correct him, but Hakyeon beams at the words and Taekwoon snaps his mouth shut again.

“I have something very special for you,” Hakyeon begins, then throws Taekwoon a devious smile. “Something Uncle Taekwoonie wore,” he says.

Taekwoon’s eyes widen as Hakyeon reaches into the bag and comes out holding the dinosaur tail he had made a couple of weeks prior. “Want to put it on?”

“Yes!” Minyul cries, clapping his hands together. 

Hakyeon obediently fastens the tail around his waist, tying it tightly because it was not made for such a small waist, and grins when Minyul immediately runs off, hands raised into claws to go show off his gift.

“At least say ‘thank you!’” Taemi shouts after him, sighing when she is ignored. Instead she turns to Hakyeon herself, “Thank you,” she says in his stead.

“It was just something I had lying around,” he replies, turning to Taekwoon to give him a wink. “There’s more in here for all of you,” he says holding up the bag.

“Let’s get out of the entryway,” Taekwoon suggests stepping back out of the doorway. He leads him to the kitchen where his mom is adding the carrots and potatoes she also cut up into the pot to stew with the beef. 

“Mom, this is Hakyeon, Hakyeon this is my mom.”

Hakyeon bows slightly and holds out the gift bag, “Thank you for inviting me into your home, Mrs. Jung.”

“Such a sweet boy,” she coos reaching for the bag. “You didn’t have to bring anything,” she smiles.

“You always bring a gift when someone invites you to their home,” Hakyeon counters.

“He brought me a fern,” Taekwoon confirms with a laugh.

“These are just candles I made,” Hakyeon explains as she pulls out what looks like an old tea tin from the bag. “They’re scented. They’re labeled on the bottom, but please accept these as thanks for having me.”

“You’re a sweet boy. These are beautiful, we will use them well,” she smiles leaning forward and wrapping Hakyeon in a quick hug.

Taekwoon’s heart squeezes at the action and relief washes through him. He knew both of them would love one another, but seeing it confirmed eases something within him and makes him think this night may not be as painful as he anticipated.

“Taekwoonie has told us all about your craft videos, and we’ve watched how talented you are on the show,” she says setting the candles aside.

Taekwoon colors at the words, the implication that he talks about Hakyeon to his family is a little embarrassing.

“Would you like something to drink?” she asks pointing to the refrigerator.

“If it’s not too much trouble,” Hakyeon replies.

Taekwoon hops into action, fetching a glass from the cupboard and pouring Hakyeon a glass of water. He sets it down in front of him, “I’m sorry I didn’t ask earlier,” he mumbles.

“Its fine, thank you, Taekwoonie,” Hakyeon hums taking a sip.

Taekwoon blanches at the nickname and he hears his mom huff out a laugh behind him.

“Dinner should be ready in about an hour,” she says, mercifully not pointing out his reaction. “You said you two wanted to finish up dessert for us, didn’t you?” she asks turning to her son.

“Ah, I did,” Taekwoon remembers. “I brought the frosting, so all we need to do is pipe it on,” he replies gesturing to the supplies on the counter.

“You can use the table,” his mom says.

“Thank you,” Hakyeon smiles back and rolls up his sleeves.

“Too bad you didn’t bring the apron you made,” she quips watching them set up the workspace.

Taekwoon groans and Hakyeon’s eyes light up, “I still have it. I’ll bring it next time,” he says conspiratorially.

“Next week then, if you’re free,” Mrs. Jung replies.

“Oh, I wasn’t really trying to invite myself again,” Hakyeon says quickly, throwing Taekwoon a startled look. “I just meant if you wanted them. I can always send them with Taekwoonie too.”

“Nonsense, you have an open invitation from now on,” she returns. “Keep an eye on the stew for me, Taekwoon. I’ll be with your father in the sun room.”

Taekwoon nods and ducks his head to hide his smile as he lays the cookies out on fresh parchment paper. “So, we need to make grids for these. Everything is four blocks though, so they’re easy, just kind of…” he trails off searching for the word he wants.

“Finicky?” Hakyeon asks taking control of the red and green frostings. “I’ll start with the kind of, N shaped ones, you can do the L?”

Taekwoon nods, and together they start piping, mimicking the sections of the different Tetris pieces. Taekwoon works, tongue slightly poking out as he tries to draw as steady of lines as possible. “This is more annoying than the cats were,” he gripes finishing off the first set of pieces.

“But your lines look good,” Hakyeon replies. “This is good practice for Sunday,” he smiles.

Just as they start the last of the cookies, Minyul skids into the kitchen on socked feet, hands raised into claws, “RAWR!” he screams.

“Oh! A dinosaur, Taekwoon, save me!” Hakyeon shouts ducking behind the taller for cover.

Minyul giggles at the theatrics, then sobers, staring Taekwoon down. He raises his hands again and prepares to strike.

Taekwoon fights a smile of his own, “Don’t worry, I know how to deal with the Munyulasaurus,” he grins.

Before Minyul has a chance to move, Taekwoon has him scooped up and is spinning him around. “Run! Save yourself!” he says to Hakyeon who ducks behind the table.

Minyul’s giggles are infections and Taekwoon sets him down, still laughing. “Will the Minyulasaurus please be a nice dinosaur so Hakyeon and I can finish these cookies?” he asks ruffling his hair.

“Can I help?”

“Sure,” Hakyeon replies moving back towards him. I’m going to stand you on the chair so you can see, but you’re not allowed to fall, okay?” he asks as he grabs him at the waist and swings him up onto the chair. 

“Okay,” Minyul replies easily.

Taekwoon snorts at the exchange. 

Hakyeon stands behind him, bracketing him in so he’s more secure and holds the piping bag up for him. “We’re going to make a few smaller squares inside of this big one, so it looks like this,” he grabs his phone and shows him the picture.

“Okay,” Minyul says again. 

Taekwoon watches fondly as Hakyeon helps guide Minyul’s hands to make the lines. He glances over and sees that he’s been caught staring by his mom who has re-entered and he feels the flush creep up again.

“That was great,” Hakyeon is saying once they’ve completed two of the cookies. “How about I let you decide how we finish off the last ones? You can decorate however you want?”

Minyul goes to town with the leftover icing, making several rainbow faces, then attempting his name on the last one. “That one’s mine,” he says pointing to it.

“Obviously,” Hakyeon nods. “Okay, let’s get you down and your hands washed now.”

Mrs. Jung moves out of their way as Hakyeon guides Minyul to the sink, lifting him up so he can rid his hands of the sticky mess the icing left.

“Just in time for dinner,” she says.

Taekwoon and Hakyeon move the cookies from the table as she scoops the galbijjim into a serving dish and scoops rice into bowls. “Minyullie, go get your mom and grandpa,” she says.

He takes off, running to the living room as asked and reappears a few minutes later tugging his mom behind him. He disappears again as Taekwoon sinks down into one of the chairs and gestures at Hakyeon to take the other. Once again, Minyul appears, this time tugging an older man behind him.

Hakyeon immediately stands back up and Taekwoon smiles to himself.

“Dad, this is Hakyeon, Hakyeon, my dad,” he says.

“Hello, Sir, it’s nice to meet you,” Hakyeon bows.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” he replies sinking into the seat at Taekwoon’s left. 

Taekwoon’s mom takes the seat to Hakyeon’s right, his sister and Minyul taking the ones opposite them.

“So, the theme this week is a time party?” his mom asks.

“Time Machine,” Taekwoon corrects. “Throw a party showcasing a specific decade.”

“Are the cookies a clue to your theme?” Taemi asks pointing towards where the cookies sit.

“Yes,” Hakyeon replies, “But that’s all we will confirm for now. We’ll keep it a secret.”

“Are you going to dress Woonie up again?” she asks with a pointed smile aimed at her brother.

“Of course, it’s tradition now,” Hakyeon laughs.

Taekwoon groans loudly, “Sanghyuk is going to have enough ammunition to ridicule me for years at this rate.”

“But you looked so cute in that flower crown,” his mom replies wistfully. “Please tell me it is safe somewhere,” she directs the question at Hakyeon.

“It’s safe,” he confirms. 

Taemi laughs at the put out look on Taekwoon’s face.

“This is delicious,” Hakyeon says a minute later. “I can see where Taekwoon gets his cooking skills from.”

Taekwoon makes a startled sound and tries to bury it in a drink of his water.

“Hakyeon, can you tell me more about your videos? Taekwoon told me you make money off recording them?” his father finally says suddenly.

Everyone’s attention turns towards Hakyeon and he smiles nervously. “Not a ton of money or anything, I still am a freelance interior designer, but the videos bring in enough for me to be able to afford the materials to keep filming,” he says. “I basically film different tutorials showing people how to make simple things for their homes, or how to re-purpose pieces they already own.”

“Oh, I watched a video last week that helped me to fix the pipe under the sink!” he replies.

“That’s great!” Hakyeon beams back at him, shoulders relaxing.

Conversation is easy throughout dinner, Hakyeon blending in seamlessly with his family and relief washes over Taekwoon. 

“Can we have cookies now?” Minyul asks suddenly.

“Is everyone done?” Taemi asks.

“It appears so,” their mom laughs. 

Taekwoon rises, beginning to help collect plates, and shoos Hakyeon away when he tries to help. “You’re the guest, sit down.”

“Can I get the cookies then?” he pouts.

Taekwoon rolls his eyes, but nods.

“This is too much. You two are so dumb,” his sister laughs.

“Taemi,” their father says in a warning tone and she smiles at him sheepishly.

Hakyeon watches them curiously and Taekwoon pushes him gently towards the counter where the cookies wait in an effort to distract him.

Taekwoon takes the first set of dishes to the sink then returns for the second as Hakyeon is carefully arranging the cookies on the table. He lingers long enough to watch Minyul immediately reach for the one he wrote his name on and stuff the whole thing into his mouth.

Hakyeon blinks, then bursts out laughing, “Well, that’s one way to do it. What do you think?” he asks.

“It’s good,” Minyul replies through a mouthful of cookie.

“Good to know. Please help yourselves,” Hakyeon says waving his arm at the dessert. “In a perfect world, both layers of icing would be completely set, but without a dehydrator we had to make due. It’s good to know that our experiment of the base color and then the solid line is a good system though,” he says to Taekwoon who is now returning from dropping the last set of dishes off.

Taekwoon nods as he sits back down and snags a couple of cookies for himself. He pops one into his mouth, eating it whole much like Minyul did and Hakyeon grins at him. “The lime is still good too,” he says once he’s swallowed.

Hakyeon nods, chewing his own cookie. 

“Ah, it’s really nice to be around a family again,” Hakyeon says a little wistfully.

“Do your parents not live close?” Mrs. Jung asks.

“They’re still down in Changwon with my brother and sister in law and their kids,” he replies. “I moved up here for school, and stayed after I graduated. I don’t see them nearly enough,” he replies.

“Well, like I said before, you are welcome here anytime you want,” she smiles back. “I know if Taekwoon was away from me I would hope someone would take care of him.”

Hakyeon preens, then throws Taekwoon a grin before turning back Mrs. Jung, “You’re going to get sick of me if you offer something like that and you keep cooking the way that you do.”

“She means it,” Taekwoon sighs. 

After dessert, they end up in the living room, Minyul putting on a little concert for them with the karaoke machine Taekwoon gifted him the Christmas before while Taemi does dishes and his parents relax.

“Dance with me,” Minyul says reaching for Hakyeon.

“Minyullie, I don’t know if Hakyeon—” Taekwoon’s protest is cut off when Hakyeon immediately stands up and joins in, joining in with Minyul easily. Taekwoon is grinning at the sight when Hakyeon reaches out for him in turn.

“Dance with us?” Hakyeon’s eyes are soft and his smle is wide.

Taekwoon can’t resist. He’s on his feet and moving with them a second later.

This is how Taemi finds them, the sound of a camera shutter alerting Taekwoon to her presence. He freezes, eyes going wide as he rounds on her.

“This is going up on Instagram,” she grins flashing her phone screen at him.

“I hate you,” Taekwoon mutters, sinking back onto the couch. He glances down at his phone and shoots back up, “I didn’t realize how late it is. We should probably get going,” he says to Hakyeon. 

Minyul deflates when he realizes Taekwoon means to leave. “You’ll come back, right?” he asks Hakyeon.

“Of course,” Hakyeon assures him, stooping down to give him another hug. 

Taekwoon gives Minyul his own hug then takes Hakyeon with him when he goes to find his parents, bidding them each good night with a hug. 

“Please come back again,” Taekwoon’s mom says wrapping Hakyeon in a hug as well.

“You’ll get sick of me,” Hakyeon promises.

Taekwoon smiles to himself as his father shakes Hakyeon’s hand and wishes them both a goodnight. 

The two say goodbye to Minyul and Taemi one last time before heading out together. Taekwoon can’t help but feel a sense of contentment as they walk to the bus stop, steps in sync. 

“That was really fun,” Hakyeon says once they reach the stop.

“It was,” Hakyeon agrees. “Sometime you should meet all of us, it gets even more fun,” he laughs.

“I would love that. You should also come down to Changwon with me sometime,” Hakyeon proposes.

“I would love to, but after Eunkyung’s baby is born. I can’t miss that.

“I didn’t mean immediately,” Hakyeon laughs. 

“Oh, I—” Taekwoon starts, suddenly feeling tongue tied.

“You really are adorable,” Hakyeon says softly.

Taekwoon freezes, mind going blank as Hakyeon takes a step closer to him. He takes a step in turn, closing the gap even further. He’s reaching out, unsure of whether it is to pull Hakyeon in, or to just make sure he’s still real, but the sudden sweep of headlights breaks the moment and has both of them stepping back.

“We should finish that thought sometime,” Hakyeon says quietly as the bus comes to a stop at the curb.

Taekwoon nods, speechless as Hakyeon disappears inside and as the bus drives off.

The following morning, Taekwoon wakes still thinking about the previous night. He rolls out of bed, Mochi on his heels as he starts the coffee and pours her a bowl of food. He can’t stop replaying those last few minutes. 

“What would have happened if the bus hadn’t arrived?” he asks out loud.

Mochi, as usual, ignores him. 

He sips his coffee and pours a quick bowl of cereal before going to get dressed. Hakyeon had not given him any specific instructions on how to dress, so he tries to find the best thing he can that will fit the theme. He settles on the same pair of ripped black jeans from the previous week and an old t-shirt he found shoved in the back of his closet featuring an even older rock band. He grabs a black zip up hoodie with a neon graphic print on it to complete the look. 

He turns, looking at Mochi where she lays on his bed before going over and scritching behind her ear, “See you later,” he says.

The ride to the studio is uneventful aside from the text from his sister of the photo she took last night of him and Hakyeon dancing with Minyul. She’s added hearts around both of them as they smile at one another over his nephew. He leaves her on read and goes back to staring out of the window, but not before saving the picture.

When he arrives at the studio, Hakyeon isn’t there yet, so he sinks down into a makeup chair to wait his turn once the stylists are finished with the other contestants. He goes back to scrolling through his phone until he hears one of the stylists let out a startled gasp and then start laughing so hard she needs to hold onto the chair so she won’t fall over.

“What in God’s name are you wearing?” she demands.

Taekwoon’s eyes drift over, and then his jaw nearly hits the floor. He turns around, hoping that what he sees in the mirror is somehow a trick of the light. But no, there Hakyeon is in all of his neon glory. He is wearing neon pink parachute pants, a yellow fanny pack, a skin tight triangle printed shirt with a teal tank top on over it. To complete the look he has a lime green sweatband on his head, his bangs flowing over the top. “You’re not real,” he whispers in a horrified squeak.

“I _am_ the 80s!” Hakyeon grins back in return.

The stylists are clutching one another now they are laughing so hard and the other contestants are begging for photos. Taekwoon wants to hide. He stays quiet as the stylists finally get themselves back under control and move to him to finally get his makeup done while Hakyeon happily snaps photos with anyone who wants one.

“Why aren’t you dressed up this week?” the stylist asks as she starts putting his concealer on.

“I _am_ dressed up,” he grumbles back.

“Don’t worry,” Hakyeon assures dropping down into the chair next to Taekwoon as usual. “I have this covered.”

Taekwoon eyes him suspiciously, “That’s not what I want to hear.”

“It’s nothing too outrageous,” he says with a smile.

Taekwoon doesn’t believe him. Twenty minutes later he finds out he was right not to. 

“No,” he says simply, folding his arms over the Def Leppard t-shirt he has on.

“It’s just a headband,” Hakyeon protests.

“And a shirt! Taekwoon counters thrusting an accusing finger at the garment in Hakyeon’s hand.

“We can match though!” Hakyeon says holding out a shirt of the same hideous print that’s on his skin tight one. “Be a team player, Taekwoonie, put on the shirt. You can even keep the t-shirt on so everyone knows how metal you truly are at heart,” he says holding the offending piece of clothing out in one had. The fingers of the other hand are in the classic “punk rock” gesture.

Taekwoon wants to say no, is very close to it, but then Hakyeon walks over and lowers his voice, speaking only for him.

“Please? For me?”

Those three words crumble Taekwoon’s resolve utterly. He heaves out a sigh, snatches the offending button down and pulls it on over his shirt in place of his hoodie. It is even more hideous than he thought and he looks like he stole a tablecloth and is wearing it. Before he can move away, Hakyeon quickly snaps a lime green sweatband, exactly like the one Hakyeon is sporting, on his head, making sure to pull his bangs out as well.

“Oh my gosh, if you had ears they would be flat against your head right now,” Hakyeon giggles at the look of disgust Taekwoon can feel on his own face. “Just like a cat, aren’t you?” he grins running his fingers through Taekwoon’s bangs to make sure they fall properly.

Taekwoon lets out a low growl, “One that’s about to claw your face off.”

“Ooh, a feisty kitty today,” Hakyeon coos, then quickly scurries away towards the safety of the studio.

Taekwoon heaves a huge sigh before finally following suit.

“Well now, this is a _look_ you two have going on today,” Jaehwan says with a laugh.

“Welcome to the 80s baby,” Hakyeon grins back at him.

Taekwoon stays silent, mortified at being on television dressed like this. 

“This episode is going to be so much fun,” Hongbin laughs from somewhere to their left. Taekwoon shoots him a dark look on his way to the front to take their marks for filming. 

“Ready to roll in 5, 4, 3—” Wonshik’s countdown goes silent as Jaehwan steps forward readying to speak.

“Hello everyone and welcome to Time Machine week! I am excited to see where we will go on our journeys this weekend, although one of our teams is already giving us a massive clue I believe,” Jaehwan chuckles.

The cameraman assigned to Taekwoon and Hakyeon zooms in, Hakyeon grins, waving happily while Taekwoon can’t force a smile onto his face. He blinks, staring straight at the lens, expression blank, until it pans away.

“There are only three teams remaining and that means expectations are high for you. Keep these things in mind as we go through this weekend. That being said, we are going to start this week’s Quick Craft with an appropriate challenge that will make you the masters of time.”

Taekwoon glances to Hakyeon and is relieved to see the furrow between his brow that shows he’s just as confused as Taekwoon is. 

“We’re going to supply each of you with the basic components of a clock and we want you to put the faces on and have them represent your chosen decade,” he explains.

Hongbin distributes the clock kits and a single AA battery to each team before melting back into the shadows. 

“As usual, make use of the craft closet and whatever is at your station. You have twenty minutes which start now!”

Taekwoon follows Hakyeon back to their table, the hideous shirt billowing out behind him, and plops down in the seat.

“Hmm,” Hakyeon hums staring down at the electronics and giving it a hard look. “I’m not really sure how to approach this one,” he says.

“We could stick with the video games?” Taekwoon asks. “There are a ton that were released in the 80s, so we just have to choose twelve. Eleven if we use Tetris?” he suggests.

“That’s…really good,” Hakyeon says beaming. “Okay, use the iPad and search up either characters or case art. I’ll grab a board so we have something to mount this on.

Taekwoon gets to work as Hakyeon takes off across the studio. He doesn’t really need the search engine at first and starts printing off iconic games he knows were released in the time frame he needs. Mario, Luigi, Dig Dug, Link, Zelda, and a pixelated burger are already queued up to print by the time Hakyeon returns. “I haven’t hit print yet because I don’t know how you want to size them,” he says.

“Wow,” Hakyeon breathes, impressed, “Uh, I’d say compile them and try and make each one about an inch?” he asks holding up the board he chose. 

Taekwoon nods, adding a few more photos to the mix as Hakyeon sets to work drawing a guide and cutting the board down to size. While Hakyeon attaches the hands, Taekwoon cuts out the pictures he printed and they get to work gluing them in place. 

“I wish we had time to paint it, but twenty minutes is hard to make something look as good as I’d like,” Hakyeon sighs.

“It’s a clock that represents our decade,” Taekwoon shrugs in reply.

“Where’s that competitive spirit you were boasting about?” Hakyeon teases.

“Blocked by the headband,” Taekwoon deadpans.

Hakyeon is bent over laughing still when the judges stop by their table.

“Hakyeon, Taekwoon, we’re starting with you today. Care to tell us what your decade and inspiration were?” Kibum asks.

“I’m both shocked and offended you haven’t figured out our decade yet,” Hakyeon grins back at him. “Obviously we are representing the 1980s—but we’re doing it American style,” he laughs. “Taekwoon came up with the brilliant idea of making our clock using iconic video game characters from the 80s, so we have Mario, Link, Luigi, and Zelda representing 13, 3, 6, and 9 respectively while the other images fill in the rest.”

“It’s a little plain,” Heechul says. 

“You could have covered the wood in pretty paper or even fabric so it would stand out more,” Solin adds.

“With twenty minutes, we wanted to make sure we could finish,” he counters. “But finding a complementary colored paper and facing the clock with it would have been a great idea. We will keep that in mind for next time,” Hakyeon smiles.

After the judges are gone, his smile falters a bit, “That was probably the worst one we’ve had yet.”

“We’ll come back from it,” Taekwoon assures him. He’s a little surprised to be the optimistic one this time.

Solhyun and Taeyong end up winning the Quick Craft and ten minute advantage. The judges can’t stop talking about how beautiful their clock is with a galaxy themed background to represent the future decade of the 3020’s where “everyone will live in space.” 

Taekwoon shifts his chair a little closer to Hakyeon’s than normal, causing their arms to brush as they sit and wait for the staff to set up the Upcycle Challenge for the week. He wants to see if Hakyeon is okay and to bring up last night, but with so many prying eyes and listening ears, he knows the conversation is begging to be featured on the show. “We’re doing a strategy session dinner again, right?” he asks instead.

“Mmm,” Hakyeon hums, absently brushing his hair out of his eyes, “I like our tradition.”

“Me too,” Taekwoon replies softly. They can talk about it then. He takes a marker and doodles absently again, this time two stick figures talking while Pac-Man and ghosts surround them. 

Hakyeon smiles down and adds a few drawings of his own, filling out the paper with Tetris pieces and a little cat at the feet of the two figures.

When they’re finally called back to the front of the studio, Jaehwan stands again before two tables and one large object on the floor, each item hidden as usual.

“Now, for our up-cycle challenge. We’ve already dealt with the “time” portion of this week’s theme, now we will work with the second half,” Jaehwan beams at them. “You will have a choice of three machines that you will need to upcycle to help represent your chosen decade. This item can be decorative, it can be functional, or it can be both. Once time starts you will have 45 minutes to complete your upcycles. We will give each team a sticky note again and the first note on the item counts for claiming it.”

Hongbin once again distributes sticky notes to each team, Taekwoon takes it directly this time, knowing he will be the one running anyway. He looks to Hakyeon who is smiling back at him.

“Taekwoonie, fighting!”

Taekwoon huffs out a laugh and turns his attention back to Jaehwan and the mystery items underneath the tarps. 

“Pay attention now, we’re going to show you the items and give you a minute to discuss with your partners before we call time,” he says. At his words the sheets are lifted and the three items are revealed. There is a typewriter, an old television console, and a rotary phone. “All of these vintage items were graciously donated by our staff and will be auctioned off to benefit charity after the show airs,” he adds with a smile. 

Taekwoon turns to Hakyeon, hoping he knows what he wants.

“Get the television,” Hakyeon whispers. 

Taekwoon nods, not even questioning him. After Jaehwan shouts go he is a blur, running straight for the TV and slapping the sticky on the side with more force that is probably necessary. It is big and ugly, more wood than actual television and Taekwoon can’t even fathom why Hakyeon had wanted this.

The items are taken back to their stations and as the forty-five minutes begin, Hakyeon starts talking.

“This is what we’re doing. We are going to completely remove the television from the casing and make it into a chair,” he states already taking hold of the front of the TV and starting to pry it loose.

“You can do that?” Taekwoon asks.

“Absolutely. These old sets weigh as much as we do. Now hold the console for me so I can get this thing out,” Hakyeon grunts.

It takes a few minutes, but the adhesive holding the set in place is old and gives way a couple of minutes later. They lift it together and set it to the side, then Taekwoon stares at the shell that is left, “Now what?”

“Now, you’re going to sand down the glue while I go get some foam and find some fabric,” Hakyeon replies pointing him towards their supply area.

Taekwoon opens several drawers before he finds what he’s looking for. He takes a square of sandpaper and sets to work ridding the wood paneling of as much adhesive as possible.

Hakyeon returns with two pieces of particle board, a thick piece of foam, and fabric ugly enough to rival the shirt he is wearing (and forced onto Taekwoon as well). It’s an electric blue base with bold yellow squares going in multiple directions stamped on it. Taekwoon shudders when he sees it.

Hakyeon measures the opening and marks the first piece of particle board, cutting it so that the chair has a true base, and sets it aside. Next he measures the back opening and marks the particle board several centimeters longer than it so he can form a backing for the new chair. He cuts foam to fit both as Taekwoon finishes sanding down the adhesive. 

They work together to glue the pieces of foam down onto the boards, trimming them down to size and making sure to leave excess room or the back to be attached to the console. Once the pieces are made, they cover them quickly in the fabric and secure them with staples and glue, doing their best to conceal the seams. The last step is to attach the seat to the area where the television previously sat and the back to the backside of the unit.

They’re down to the thirty second mark as they are both frantically wiping down the wood paneling to get any dust and debris off from their hurried work. 

“Time is up, please step away from your work!” Jaehwan calls. 

Taekwoon gives Hakyeon a smile as they step back and survey the chair. He’s pleased with it. Would he put it in his apartment? Absolutely not. But it is an item that has been transformed and uses the second ugliest fabric known to man.

“We’re starting again with you two,” Jaehwan grins as he and the judges approach their station. “You made a chair,” he says, surprise lacing his voice.

Taekwoon smiles back at him, smug.

“It is certainly transformed,” Soljin says.

“But your decade is the 1980s, correct?” Kibum asks.

“Yes,” both Hakyeon and Taekwoon conform.

“Since the unit itself was not changed, this looks much more America circa 1970 to me,” he replies.

“I agree, actually,” Heechul nods. “Other than the fabric, the wood paneling is 1970’s. It’s still an impressive transformation,” he adds diplomatically.

Taekwoon deflates. This was not how this week was supposed to go. They were supposed to be impressed so he could feel certain that his time with Hakyeon would be extended. That he would be almost required to see the other instead of them trying to fit one another in their daily lives and busy schedules without the excuse of the show. He pulls the sweatband off of his head and plays with it in his hands as they wait for judging to finish.

“We were bound to have a week where they don’t love everything we do,” Hakyeon assures him, slinging an arm around his shoulder in comfort.

Taekwoon nods, relieved to see that optimistic Hakyeon has made a return. “I know, I just really hate losing,” he groans.

“Don’t talk like that. Tomorrow is redemption,” Hakyeon says punctuating his words with a squeeze of Taekwoon’s shoulders.

They’re too close. Taekwoon can smell the citrusy smell that always seems to surround Hakyeon and it is taking everything in him to not take a big whiff right here. He sighs, and reluctantly steps away, “C’mon, I’m hungry,” he whines reaching out to take hold of Hakyeon and pull him along.

“Are we doing barbecue again?” Hakyeon asks when they finally make it back into the dressing room.

Taekwoon is about to say yes, but stops when he realizes his bag is buzzing where it sits on the couch. He fishes his phone out, eyes narrowing when he sees the “19 missed calls” notification. “Hang on,” he says as his phone starts buzzing again. “Hello?” he asks into the receiver.

“It’s time, we’re at the hospital, Eunkyung is having the baby,” Taemi says quickly.

“Now?” Taekwoon asks, grabbing his bag and looking around the room frantically.

“Is everything okay?” Hakyeon asks stepping towards him. 

“Which hospital are you at?” Taekwoon asks, ignoring Hakyeon who is hovering nervously.  
After he gets the details he turns to Hakyeon. “The baby, it’s coming,” he says breathlessly.

Hakyeon’s eyes widen and his face breaks out into a wide grin. “What are you standing here for then?”

“I’m sorry about dinner,” Taekwoon says already moving towards the door.

“Shut up and go!” Hakyeon laughs following him. 

Before Taekwoon is fully out the door though, Hakyeon’s hand on his wrist stops him. “You may not want to show up wearing this,” he says with a laugh, tugging gently at the button up Taekwoon is still wearing.

Taekwoon groans, handing Hakyeon his bag so he can take the shirt off. “Thank you,” he laughs trading one item for the other.

“Text me when the baby is here,” Hakyeon says. 

Taekwoon nods, then sets off at a run, hurrying to meet his family and the new addition.

\------

While waiting for Taekwoon to let him know if he had a new niece or nephew, Hakyeon makes lists of elements he wants included and sets the items he needs to bring for filming by the door so he won’t forget him. He knows Taekwoon has a plan in place for the food elements of their party, so he adds those to the list, then brainstorms his own ideas for decorations to make the room feel like it really is a step back to the 80s and get the judges back on their side. Hakyeon stays up as long as possible, but around midnight he finally gives in to sleep.

Sunday morning Hakyeon wakes at 6:00 to a text from Taekwoon, sleepily smiling at the camera and holding a tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket. It’s time stamped 4:00 am.

_Hana says hi_

She’s perfect

_She is_

Hakyeon doesn’t expect the immediate reply. Taekwoon should still getting what little sleep he can squeeze in before filming.

Why are you awake already? That text is only from two hours ago

_I’ve run on less sleep. I needed to go home and check on Mochi and the hospital is kind of far_

You’re a great uncle and cat dad

_I still don’t want to be called a cat dad_

Hakyeon laughs at the face he knows Taekwoon is making with that remark. He gets out of bed and decides to skip his usual run so he has a little more time to stop by the cafe before he gets to the studio. When he finally arrives for filming he has a small strawberry frappe for himself and a large iced vanilla latte with an extra shot of espresso for Taekwoon. He finds the other asleep sitting up on the couch, arms folded on his chest and head drooped down.

“We didn’t want to wake him,” one of the stylist says as Hakyeon gently sets the drinks down on the counter under the mirrors.

“He had a long night—his sister just had a baby. I’ll take care of him, thank you,” he says looking at his partner’s sleeping form. 

“Oh, that’s so exciting!” she says with a wide smile then turns her attention back to finishing up Gyujin’s makeup.

Hakyeon walks over to the couch and leans down, gently placing a hand on Taekwoon’s shoulder and shaking him lightly. “Taekwoon, it’s time to wake up now,” he says softly.

“Nrrgh,” Taekwoon groans, shifting away from Hakyeon’s touch and blinking up at him, eyes staying closed longer each time.

“Taekwoonie,” Hakyeon laughs, “We have to get ready now. I brought you coffee,” he says with a smile.

“Coffee?” Taekwoon asks hopefully, eyes slits as he tries to force himself awake.

“Yeah, but it’s over there by the makeup chair. If you want it you have to go to it,” Hakyeon says.

The pout Taekwoon gives him in return is almost too much. A sleepy Taekwoon is also almost too much. He watches fondly as Taekwoon stretches languidly, then finally pushes himself up off of the couch, walking a little unsteadily towards the chair Hakyeon directed him to.

“How are you perfect?” Taekwoon asks, throwing Hakyeon a look he can’t quite read.

“You should wake up before you try and talk,” Hakyeon laughs him off, sinking down into the other chair Gyujin has vacated and taking a sip of his own drink. “Are you even going to be okay today? You’re like the walking dead.”

“I know what I’m saying,” Taekwoon mumbles, but takes several more sips of coffee anyway. 

He stays silent through getting his makeup done and Hakyeon steals fond glances of him through the mirror the whole time.

Once they’re made up, Hakyeon quickly changes into his same outfit from yesterday, snapping his sweatband on with authority and replacing Taekwoon’s for him as well. He holds out the shirt, and this time Taekwoon puts it on without a fight and Hakyeon beams at him. “You secretly like the shirt, don’t you?”

“The damage has been done,” Taekwoon counters. “Hyogi will have the screenshot whether I wear it today or not, so what’s the point of protesting?”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Hakyeon laughs at the dejected Tone of Taekwoon’s words, “complete and utter apathy. Come on, let’s go throw an 80s party.”

They make their way to the studio, Hakyeon bringing the bag with the items they plan on using that day. He’s still a little concerned that Taekwoon seems to be dragging, but there isn’t a whole lot more he can do to fix that at the moment other than ask Hongbin to provide more caffeine as needed.

“How are your sister and the baby doing?” Hakyeon asks as they sit together at their station waiting for the crew to finish setting up.

“They’re good,” Taekwoon replies. “I have more photos on my phone, but I left it in my bag again. Sorry we couldn’t strategize last night,” he adds through a yawn.

“Stop apologizing for it. You were where you needed to be,” Hakyeon says sternly. And while he is a little sad that they couldn’t finish, or even discuss, what had nearly transpired between them on Friday, he knows what he says is true. “You should go to bed early tonight, you’re exhausted,” Hakyeon tells him, noting the dark circles still visible under Taekwoon’s eyes even through the makeup.

“The exhaustion is worth it though,” Taekwoon shrugs. 

“I can’t wait to meet her sometime,” Hakyeon says a little dreamily. “I love babies, they’re so pure.”

Taekwoon hums, eyes slipping shut again as they wait.

Luckily Jaehwan and Wonshik enter the studio soon after and prevent Hakyeon from having to wake his partner up for the second time today.

“Looks like we need to go line up,” he tells the other gently.

Taekwoon pushes his bottom lip out, but stands and follows Hakyeon dutifully. As they await the start of filming, Hakyeon is a little surprised when Jaehwan rushes over.

“How is your sister doing?” he asks.

“She and Hana are fine,” Taekwoon replies happily. “Both are resting now and will get to go home in a few days.”

Jaehwan grins back at him, “Good to hear. Hope you two are ready to continue the trip through time today,” he chirps, then bounces back to Wonshik.

“He is having way too much fun with this,” Taekwoon says turning to Hakyeon.

“He’s having the right amount of fun. Like me. You just think you’re too cool for the rest of us when you’re secretly as dorky as we are,” Hakyeon shoots back.

FIlming starts a few minutes later, with Jaehwan reminding them of the usual four hour time limit. He and Taekwoon wait at their station for the winning team’s bonus ten minutes to elapse so they can get started on their own party. 

“We’re starting with cookies,” Hakyeon says pulling out his notebook from the previous night. “Those need to dehydrate as long as possible while we work on everything else,” Hakyeon says. After that I’ll get decorating while you start working on the snacks. I think we should use the clock and the chair because they’ll both fill out the space even if the judges hated them yesterday,” he tells Taekwoon. 

“Is that going to hurt us?” Taekwoon asks in reply.

“I don’t think we have enough time to make new things for the decorations,” Hakyeon admits with a small shrug. He hates that the pieces they worked on yesterday didn’t sit well with the judges and worries about how incorporating them will affect their place, but he can’t think of another alternative. “We’ll see where we’re at a little later and if we can leave one or both out.”

“That’s fine with me,” Taekwoon shrugs. “Who knows, they may like them more with the rest of the stuff in the room today than they did yesterday.”

Hakyeon gives him a small smile in return.

After their time starts, they make the cookies the same way they did during their practice baking session, with Taekwoon taking care of the wet ingredients and Hakyeon measuring out flour and zesting limes. “Too bad Mochi isn’t here to distract me,” Hakyeon sighs wistfully.

“She was mad at me this morning,” Taekwoon confesses as he scrapes down the bowl and turns out the dough from the stand mixer so he can finish getting it together with his hands.

“I’m sure she will forgive you,” Hakyeon assures him. He starts working on the Tetris cutouts, not wanting to waste one of their from home items on the stencils they used before because they are easy enough to make again.

“I may have given her a couple of extra treats this morning before I left to speed up the process.”

“You’re such a pushover cat dad,” Hakyeon laughs.

Taekwoon scowls at the words, but continues pressing the dough into a large mound. “Are you good here?” Hakyeon asks as he finally finishes up the last of the templates. At Taekwoon’s nod, he grabs his bag and heads over to their room to start the setup. 

He begins by pushing the console chair over to one of the far corners, getting it out from the middle of the room and deciding he will deal with it later. After, he runs to the Craft Closet to grab construction paper in neon colors as well as primary. The first thing he starts on is the wall decorations. He’s decided to do a feature wall that could double as a selca station with a typical 80s style print he saw several times while scrolling through sites for inspiration. He cuts out rounded triangles in three sizes from the yellow and pink papers, then works on spirals of varying sizes from the blue and green ones.

“What’s the plan for today?”

Jaehwan’s voice draws Hakyeon’s attention and he sits back on his haunches to look up at the other. “We’re throwing a typical 80s American house party,” Hakyeon smiles up at him. 

“Yesterday was kind of a struggle for you and Taekwoon, wasn’t it? What are you doing today to try and overcome that?” he asks.

“We’re sticking to our original plan and trying to incorporate the elements we made yesterday as usual. We think given the right decorating, they can really work in the space to show our theme,” Hakyeon responds. 

“What are you doing now? It looks like you went back in time to kindergarten,” Jaehwan laughs at the shapes dotting the floor around them.

Hakyeon laughs at the description. “I’m cutting these out to add some print to the walls, then I’m going to decorate the table to look like a Rubik’s Cube,” Hakyeon gestures to the stack of primary colors. 

“Sounds good,” Jaehwan nods. “Well, I won’t distract you any longer.”

“I also have a little surprise planned as well,” Hakyeon adds as Jaehwan starts to walk away. 

“Oooh,” Jaehwan says turning to look back at him, “I’ll look forward to the reveal,” he adds with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Hakyeon bids him goodbye and returns to his task. He starts decorating the wall with the triangles, spacing them out so they look casually random. He adds in the spirals after and once he’s finished he takes a step back and smiles. The wall looks straight out of the 80s with the colors and the print and will provide the perfect background for the food. 

“Two hours remain!” Jaehwan shouts and Hakyeon’s eyes widen. The focal wall has taken more time than he anticipated and now he needs to go check in on Taekwoon and make sure that he’s okay. He rushes off across the studio and walks into a scene of mild chaos.

Taekwoon is standing at the counter, bits of potato sticking to his hands, and one on the side of his face, as he runs a spud across a mandolin to get a thin cut on it. He has cookies in the dehydrator and more on the counter with a small fan directed on them. “How are you doing? Okay?” he asks stepping further into the kitchenette.

Taekwoon nods absently, “Yeah. I think I’m behind though. I’m worried the icing is still going to be too soft to add the final lines to,” he says.

“They’ll be fine. Need me to help with anything while I’m over here?”

“Can you fill a bowl with cold water for me? I need to rinse these so I can get the starch off before frying,” he says.

Hakyeon grabs a large glass bowl and fills it with water, then scoops the potatoes that have already been sliced inside. “What am I looking for?”

“Huh?” Taekwoon asks distracted.

“For soaking them, what am I looking for?” Hakyeon clarifies.

“For the water to go clear again. It may take a couple of rinses. After they’re clear they need to sit in a white vinegar and water mix until I fry them.”

Hakyeon transfers the slices to a new bowl to await further soaking and rinses the last batch Taekwoon has sliced while he mixes together the vinegar and water. Once all of the potatoes are soaking, Hakyeon turns to Taekwoon, concerned over his sluggish state. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks quietly, trying not to make their cameraman too suspicious.

“I’m more tired than I realized,” Taekwoon admits. “I’m worried the dishes are too simple and not on theme enough. I also didn’t start the cake and now there is no time.”

“What’s done is done now. All we can do is stick to our plan and hope that it translates into what we see in the end. What else can I do for you?” Hakyeon asks, reaching out to squeeze his partner’s shoulder in sympathy.

Can you fill one of the deep pans with cooking oil for me about halfway up? After they finish soaking I need to get them going in the fryer so I have time to finish them all,” he says.

“Sure,” Hakyeon replies, grabbing what he needs from the cabinets. “What temperature do you need the oil on?” he asks holding up a candy thermometer.

“160,” Taekwoon replies as he digs in their freezer for the next ingredient he needs. 

Once Taekwoon is busy defrosting spinach in the microwave, Hakyeon leaves him to go work on the rest of the decorations for the room. He drapes a plain black plastic table cloth over their table and sections off part of it so that it is square. He then cuts his squares for the Rubik’s Cube decoration and starts gluing them in place. After he has the cloth covered the way he wants, he breaks out his secret weapon and starts working on the rest.

Inspired by his doodle the previous day, he takes tape and glow in the dark paint and starts in on channeling Taekwoon’s idea of video game characters and creates a Pac-Man scene. It’s a tedious process, making sure his lines are straight and that the dots are even, but he gets there eventually.

With twenty minutes remaining he goes back to check on Taekwoon. The chips are cooling in a basket on the counter and the cookies are mostly iced. “Do you need me to finish the batch?” he asks coming to stand next to him.

“No, I can do this. Will you bring the chips and get the dip from the refrigerator though?” he asks, gesturing with a jerk of his head. “I have three left then I’ll bring them right over.”

Hakyeon does as asked, fetching the chips and dip and bringing them to rest on the table, careful not to smear the paint that is still drying.

He turns around to see Taekwoon lifting the tray of finished and walking three steps before he turns too quickly and clips the corner of their station. The cookies go flying and Taekwoon stares at them in horror as they rain down on the floor at his feet. Hakyeon gasps, and rushes forward.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Taekwoon is repeating over and over again as he stares down at the broken cookies.

“It’s fine,” Hakyeon soothes starting to scoop up cookies.

“We’re going home because of this,” Taekwoon groans, setting the tray on the counter and dropping his head into his hands.

“You don’t know that,” Hakyeon counters. 

Hongbin approaches them cautiously, a broom in his hand, “I’ll take care of this if you want to go finish your room,” he offers gently.

“Thank you,” Hakyeon replies with a small smile. He loops an arm around Taekwoon’s shoulders and guides him towards their room.

Together they pull the chair into place, leaning it against the far wall and hang the clock above it. Looking around, Hakyeon is happy with their work, but more than that he is glad they are done. Time winds down and Taekwoon sinks into their console chair and Hakyeon is happy to let him rest.

When the judges come to them for their critique, it isn’t pretty. 

“I will admit you have some great 1980s references here,” Kibum says, but the whole thing seems to be lacking cohesion. “I still hate your chair,” he states as an afterthought.

Taekwoon snorts and Hakyeon eyes him warily.

“I love that the Pac-Man tablecloth echoes the clock that you made, but the glow in the dark aspect is a little lost in the studio. I’m sure it would be more impressive in an actual home,” Heechul says.

“The upside is the food is yummy, but a little too simple for my taste. We saw your unfortunate cookie disaster. They looked amazing and we would have loved to taste them,” Soljin comments sadly.

After they leave Hakyeon pulls Taekwoon back to their station and away from the room. “That was brutal,” he laughs.

“I’m sorry. I was really unfocused this week,” Taekwoon replies.

“No, my design is mainly what they hated. I got too clever and it didn’t fly this week.”

“We’re both at fault here,” Taekwoon finally says pillowing his head on his arms. 

The wait is brief, and the judges call the teams forward to learn their fates.

“This week was rough for a couple of teams,” Kibum says. “Both Hakyeon and Taekwoon, as well as Seolhyun and Taeyong struggled with making their visions clear to us. Noting this, Junghoo and Gyujin are our clear winners for the week.”

Hakyeon feels Taekwoon inch closer to him, so he does the same. This is the first time they have been in the bottom to face elimination and it does not feel good.

“We really liked specific elements of each of your teams’ work this week and we will be sorry to see one of you go,” Heechul begins. “That being said, I’m sorry, Solhyun, Taeyong, it is your time to leave,” he finishes with a sympathetic look at the duo.

Taekwoon lets out a surprised noise next to him and Hakyeon reaches over, grabbing his arm to steady him. He is shocked himself, but trying not to let it show. They bid goodbye to the leaving team and hang back, waiting for the announcement of the next week’s theme.

“Crafters, congratulations on making it this far. There are only two teams here that are still in the competition. You would think that would make next week’s episode our final, but you would be wrong,” Jaehwan says.

Hakyeon and Taekwoon exchange confused looks with Gyujin and Jungoo.

“We haven’t told you before, but we’ve been having a second chance competition every week, and that will continue with Taeyong and Solhyun, who are learning about this chance backstage right now. So that means, next week, we will be back up to three teams remaining and you will learn which eliminated team will be back. We’re also doing something we’ve never done before and taking the competition outside of the studio. We’ve taken the liberty of asking a friend or family member of each of you if they would be willing to have a room made over at our expense as part of the show.”

Hakyeon’s jaw drops. This was not one, but two secrets his friends had kept from him and they are both never going to hear the end of it.

“Taekwoon, your coworker Sanghyuk has agreed to let you and Hakyeon into his home next week,” Jaehwan tells them.

Hakyeon recognizes the name easily since he is the one who has been teasing Taekwoon with photos, and knows that Sanghyuk is someone Hongbin also knows, so he figures that was easy to arrange. He is lost in his thoughts and can’t help but notice how quiet Taekwoon is at the news, offering no reaction at all. While he is normally quiet, this feels different. 

After Jaehwan bids them a good evening, Hakyeon turns to see Taekwoon already halfway to the dressing room.

\------

Thankfully the room is empty when Taekwoon slips inside. He’s eager to grab his things and get as far away from the cameras and crew as possible so that he can go home and erase this whole weekend from his memory. To start fresh the next week. He still can’t believe that their whole idea had crashed and burned so intensely. That he messed up so monumentally. He lets out a frustrated noise and kicks the edge of the couch, feeling a little vindication when it skids a few inches and a dull pain lands in the toe of his left foot.

His hand has just wrapped around the strap of his bag when Hakyeon’s voice has him stopping in his tracks.

“You’re not avoiding me, are you?”

Taekwoon swallows thickly and takes a steadying breath before turning to face the other. He puts his mask of indifference back up and looks Hakyeon in the eye, voice steady, “Not avoiding you, just wanting to get home, finally get some sleep.”

Hakyeon closes the distance between them and comes to stand in front of Taekwoon, a little too close if Taekwoon is being honest. He tries to take a step back, but his calves hit the edge of the sofa and he stops, not wanting to fall. “That sounds like you’re avoiding me.”

“I don’t lose well. You know this,” Taekwoon says trying to sidestep the other, but Hakyeon matches him step for step and keeps himself between Taekwoon and the door. “Will you move?” he finally bites out, annoyance bleeding into his tone.

“Not until you talk to me. We didn’t lose, Taek. We were just in the bottom. It’s not the end of the world, we’ll just come back stronger next week.”

The ease with which Hakyeon brushes off their struggles hits a nerve within him and Taekwoon soon finds himself letting out another frustrated noise before glaring at the other “Do you even care if we lose? I know you don’t need the money, but some of us don’t live as comfortably as you.”

“That’s not fair,” Hakyeon replies sharply. “You know me better than that and I don’t appreciate you taking your anger out on me, even if it is rooted in exhaustion. I am with you on this team. If you lose, I lose, and we have not lost anything.” With each word he steps a little closer and soon, Taekwoon finds himself backed up against the low counter of the vanity, Hakyeon moving to stand nearly between his legs.

“Hakyeon, what is this?” Taekwoon asks, his hands going to Hakyeon’s shoulders and holding him in place so he can’t come any closer.

“Me trying to get your mind off of today. Me trying to get you to realize there are other things to focus on, other places to expend your energy than using me as a punching bag. Me _finally_ finishing that thought,” Hakyeon says lowly.

Still keeping him at arms length, Taekwoon studies Hakyeon’s face, his eyes looking for something he isn’t even sure of himself. The tension between them has been building for weeks and nearly hit a breaking point Friday, but they haven’t had a chance to talk that through yet. The many ways this could go wrong are wreaking havoc in his head. “What if this doesn’t work out?” he asks, voice a whisper as he fists the fabric of Hakyeon’s shirt keeping him close, but far enough away so he can still think.

“What if it does?”

At Hakyeon’s words, the balance shifts and Taekwoon yanks him forward, their lips crashing together almost painfully. Taekwoon quickly adjusts his angle and draws Hakyeon’s bottom lip between his teeth, biting lightly and eliciting a moan from him. Hakyeon’s fingers card through Taekwoon’s hair, settling at the back of his head and cradling him gently. Taekwoon bites again, and this time Hakyeon whines, and Taekwoon drinks the sound in, taking the chance to slip his tongue inside the other’s mouth. As they kiss, Taekwoon releases Hakyeon’s shirt, running his hands down his arms and winding them around his waist to rest on his ass. He slips his hands into the back pockets of Hakyeon’s ridiculous pants and draws him closer, spreading his own legs further to accommodate Hakyeon’s closer presence. He squeezes, and Hakyeon whimpers again into his mouth, the sound muffled between them. He relishes in it

After what feels like hours, Taekwoon draws back, kissing Hakyeon gently and dragging his lips up his jaw to nip lightly at Hakyeon’s earlobe, “Filming is going to get awkward if things between us do,” he pants lightly dipping back down to worry the skin at Hakyeon’s neck again.

“Shut up and kiss me some more,” Hakyeon groans, tightening his grip on Taekwoon’s hair once again to pull pull him back to his mouth.

Taekwoon dodges him. Instead he presses kisses down Hakyeon’s jaw and works to taste as much skin as he can and enjoy the sounds that leave Hakyeon. This is risky, anyone could walk in on them, but he can’t seem to bring himself to care. He’s addicted to the taste of the other under his lips, the soft skin of his neck, the taste of salt and bitter remnants of the scent he wears. “You taste good,” he says into the skin just above Hakyeon’s clavicle, his tongue laving at the skin pulled taut over the bone. Hakyen’s hands are still in his hair.

“You sound like a vampire,” Hakyeon huffs, tugging on Taekwoon’s hair again in an attempt to pull him back up. “Will you please get back up here and kiss me now?”

Taekwoon finally obliges him, nipping at Hakyeon’s chin one last time before sealing their mouths together. The kiss is less desperate this time, Taekwoon taking his time to explore Hakyeon’s mouth, lick into him as his hands find purchase on Hakyeon’s hips now. He draws him impossibly closer, both letting out gasps of surprise as their cocks brush against one another through the fabric of their clothes.

“We should—should slow down,” Hakyeon gasps as Taekwoon guides their hips back together. “There are still so many people out there and any of them could walk in at any second.”

Taekwoon groans, but reluctantly releases his grip on the other, allowing him to take a few steps back and put some, much needed, distance between them. His head feels floaty and he is trying to regain his bearings as Hakyeon brushes down the front of his shirt and turns to look in the mirror to assess the damage done.

“You gave me like, three hickeys, what the hell?” he asks indignantly. “I am too old for hickeys. You really are a vampire,” he grumps.

“I told you you taste good,” Taekwoon mumbles attempting to finger comb his own hair back into place. Hakyeon’s slap to the back of his head has him turning and giving him a wounded look.

“Do you feel better now?” Hakyeon asks, voice softening as he settles on the counter next to Taekwoon.

“A little,” Taekwoon replies ducking his head and avoiding Hakyeon’s gaze. “I’ve uh, been wanting to do that for a while now, so I’m glad we got that out in the open?”

“I’m so glad I’m not the only one that was being tortured,” Hakyeon laughs. “Can you do me a favor though? Can we keep this to ourselves for a while?” 

At Hakyeon’s question, Taekwoon deflates a bit, he can feel himself curling up, subconsciously trying to make himself smaller.

Hakyeon’s eyes widen and he reaches out, hands stopping just short. “I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just, Wonshik has been teasing me since before filming started about having a crush on you and if he finds out that it happened the same week he told me to go after it he is literally never going to let me live it down,” he explains hastily. “I just don’t want him thinking he’s the reason.”

This time Taekwoon reaches out and punches Hakyeon in the shoulder, drawing a noise of surprise from him. “You really are an idiot,” he says.

“I am,” Hakyeon confirms solemnly. 

Taekwoon snorts then grabs his abandoned bag and stands, holding his hand out. Hakyeon threads his fingers through Taekwoon’s and gives them a quick squeeze before guiding him towards the door. “Now, you need to go home, text your sister for more pictures of the baby, then pass the fuck out please,” he says primly.

“Sleep sounds so good,” Taekwoon agrees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally. After 70k+ words _a kiss_. I'm worry I made you wait so long (but not really because if I had to suffer and wait for it ti happen, I'm glad to make you all suffer as well.) 
> 
> Work has been kicking my ass the last couple of weeks, but editing these chapters has brought me a little fun and helped brighten my days. I'll keep on trucking through and get this thing posted! Thanks for sticking it out with me and for all of the amazing comments, it's so much fun to hear your thoughts as the story progresses ♥


	7. Episode Six: Room Re-Do

Monday morning Taekwoon wakes feeling refreshed, and a little sleep drunk. After a quick meal of instant ramyun, he essentially crashed and slept for the next twelve hours until his blaring alarm woke him. He blinks at his clock before he gets up and makes his way to the kitchen. Mochi, as usual, threads herself between his legs as he makes coffee then pours her some food. While she eats, he sits at his table and stares at his phone. Last night had been a turning point for him and Hakyeon and he isn’t sure how to look at it in the light of day. He doesn’t regret kissing Hakyeon, but what does it mean for them now? 

Good morning

The text startles him and has him dropping his phone, getting an offended look from Mochi at the sudden noise.

_Morning_ he texts back.

Can you talk to Sanghyuk today and see when a good time for me to visit his space would be? I need to see it so I can envision it

That is not the question he was expecting.

_Sure, I’ll ask him this morning and get back to you. How was your night?_

Probably more productive than yours. I edited a few videos after I got home last night.

_I slept forever_

I would be mad if you hadn’t. You were almost a zombie yesterday

_I wasn’t that bad_

You nearly fell asleep on me at least twice. From now on you are required to get at least six hours of sleep before crafting

_How are you going to enforce that_

I’ll tie you to the bed

Taekwoon’s eyes widen and he coughs up the coffee he had just sipped. Three more texts come in quick succession immediately after.

NOT LIKE THAT

I MEANT THAT I WOULD KEEP YOU IN BED

HOW IS THIS GETTING WORSE?

_Please stop, I can’t breathe_

Taekwoon is curled over the table, face resting against the dark wood surface as he tries to get his laughter under control and cool down his burning face.

I’m quitting the show and moving to Denmark

_I’ll miss you_

Taekwoon is still smiling when he finally walks into work a little later. He has three more weeks before the acquisition goes through and ever since he’s started doing his own work he is caught up on the schedule he made for himself. 

“Still on the show?” Sanghyuk asks popping his head over the wall to grin at him as Taekwoon sets his bag down and boots up his computer.

“You know the answer to that,” Taekwoon responds. 

“I also had to sign a non-disclosure,” the younger pouts. “That’s no fun.”

Taekwoon hums absently and shoos Sanghyuk back to his desk so he can focus on his work. He sits down, logs in, and skims his e-mails before he finally remembers himself. “Hyogi,” he says, popping his own head over the partition this time. “When can we come over to your apartment?”

“Come over? Why? I sent pictures to Hongbin.”

Taekwoon rolls his eyes. Admittedly, he’s no interior designer, but even he knows you need to be in a space to truly envision it. “Because Hakyeon needs to see where you live and what he can do with it. He said the sooner the better.”

“Ooh, Hakyeon wants to. Anything for Hakyeonnie,” he teastes. “You guys can come over tonight if you want. It’s kind of a mess, but I probably wouldn’t clean anyway,” the younger shrugs.

“Would 6:30 be okay?” Taekwoon asks fishing his phone out of his pocket.

“Should be fine,” Sanghyuk shrugs. “You know where my apartment is so you can send him the address.”

Taekwoon drops back into his chair without another word and relays the information to Hakyeon and goes to the break room to fill up his mug before he starts work. He returns to a printout of him wearing the flower crown from the previous week taped to his monitor and snatches it off and balls it up before throwing it over the wall at Sanghyuk. “We’re giving you the ugliest couch in existence,” he calls.

“Not if you want to stay on the show,” Sanghyuk returns.

Taekwoon ignores him, turning instead to his monitor so he can silently plot the other’s demise.

Sanghyuk slips out of work a few minutes early to make sure his place really is fit for company, so Taekwoon takes advantage and works further ahead on the account he is supervising. He’s just packing up when a text from Jaehwan comes through.

**We need to talk about the song again**

_What about it? I thought you and Wonshik were re-mastering it so you can put it up on your channel?_

**He agrees with me. We want to do the version with both of us.**

Taekwoon stares at his phone. 

_That was a demo. He shouldn’t know the other version exists_

**He’s not dumb, he knows I sing your music. Now are you going to record a proper version or are we going to have to use your demo vocals?**

He shoves his phone into his pocket without response and goes to meet Hakyeon.

“Between Sanghyuk and Jaehwan, I may not have any friends by the end of this,” he gripes when he sees Hakyeon waiting at the corner of Sanghyuk’s block. He’s amused at the high collar of the shirt he is wearing, grinning to himself at the fact that he truly did leave is mark.

“Craft It: destroying friendships,” Hakyeon laughs pulling him into a hug.

Taekwoon sinks into it, wanting to steal a kiss, but knowing that there are a few too many prying eyes. 

“What happened?” Hakyeon asks as they pull apart.

“Jaehwan let Wonshik hear the demo version of the song I sent him, so now they both want me to record it.”

“And that’s a…bad thing?” Hakyeon asks skeptically.

“Yes. I write the songs. I don’t sing them,” Taekwoon explains slowly. “He shouldn’t have played it for him though, that was a violation of our friendship.”

“I think not playing it for him when he wants you to record it would have been a violation of their relationship,” Hakyeon replies. “We should get going so we’re not late,” he adds, pointing towards the complex Sanghyuk lives in.

“Relationship?” Taekwoon asks, still not moving.

“Yeah, I guess they finally made it official after filming started. I found out last Wednesday at dinner.”

“And you didn’t tell me? Isn’t that a violation too?”

“Are you saying you want to make us official, Taekwoonie?” Hakyeon asks, a devious smile on his face.

“I—that’s—I meant” Taekwoon splutters, but before he can formulate a full response Hakyeon is grabbing his wrist and pulling him in the right direction.

“I’m teasing, relax,” he says. “But now that Wonshik has heard it, you should play it for me sometime. Or better yet, sing it for me?” he asks hopefully.

“Maybe,” Taekwoon mumbles as they reach the right building. “He lives all the way at the top,” he adds gesturing to the fourth floor.

They wind their way up the stairs, Hakyeon taking note of the staircase and even pulling out a measuring tape before jotting down the number. “It makes furniture shopping easier if you know the size of openings ahead of time,” he explains at Taekwoon’s curious look. As they wait for Sanghyuk to answer the door, Hakyeon takes note of that measurement as well.

“You’re really good at your job, aren’t you?” Taekwoon asks.

Hakyeon gives him a mildly offended look in return, “If you’re still asking that after six weeks of knowing me, I am clearly not,” he huffs.

Taekwoon is saved from having to respond by the door swinging open to reveal his younger coworker. He’s changed into loose fitting jeans and a baggy yellow t-shirt, making him look all of the twenty four years he is. “Hi, come on in,” he says easily and steps to the side.

Taekwoon has only been here a handful of times but it still looks the same as the first time. The place itself is small, the bathroom is nestled in the short hallway from the entryway into the main living space. The bedroom area is split from the living room only by a small curtain with a tiny kitchen sitting directly across. A small couch helps to divide the space, facing the television that sits on the floor. The walls are an off white with posters taped to them. and a guitar sits in the corner.

“Hakyeon, this is the bane of my existence, Sanghyuk. Hyogi, this is Hakyeon,” Taekwoon says simply once they’re standing in the living area.

“What and introduction,” Hakyeon laughs holding out his hand for Sanghyuk to shake.

“Taekwoon hyung is just mad because he knows that even though I’m younger than him, I’m smarter than him,” Sanghyuk grins back.

“You’re brattier than I am,” Taekwoon huffs crossing his arms.

“That’s a feat,” Hakyeon says thoughtfully.

Taekwoon’s jaw drops and he can feel his bottom lip jut out into a pout, “Is that going to be the real theme of this week? Gang up on Taekwoon?”

“I really like this hyung,” Sanghyuk laughs at their exchange and ushers them over to the couch.

Taekwoon stays quiet as Hakyeon talks to Sanghyuk about his personal style, where’s he is at now and what vision he has for this little space. 

“How long do you think you’ll be in this apartment?” Hakyeon asks, notebook spread across his lap as he jots down notes. 

“At least another year, possibly longer,” the younger replies from where he sits on the bed. “The rent is affordable, the commute to work isn’t bad, and it’s a good amount of space for what I need.”

“That helps,” Hakyeon replies. “What does your schedule look like this week?” he asks pulling out his own calendar.

“Pretty empty?” Sanghyuk replies.

“Good, I’ll need some of your time to help me learn more about your style and to see which pieces interest you. Can you schedule time Wednesday with me to go shopping?”

“I think so, but I can confirm tomorrow. It should be fine though because I am done with my part of the acquisition,” Sanghyuk replies throwing a smug look at Taekwoon.

“I’m ahead now,” he returns with a huff. 

“Any other ideas you want incorporated?” he asks Sanghyuk.

“I want a new couch since this one is looking kind of old, but I was planning on upgrading anyway so the cost is on me. Same with the divider,” he adds gesturing to the curtain. “It makes me feel like I’m in a hospital room,” he laughs.

“Alright, so Wednesday we will focus on furniture with bonus divider potential,” Hakyeon notes. “Now, I think that’s it. I’m going to grab a few measurements and photos and then Taekwoonie and I can get out of your hair and let you enjoy your evening,” he says, pushing himself into a standing position.

“That’s it?” Sanghyuk asks. “I figured you would poke around more?”

“I have a basic sense of your style from this,” Hakyeon replies as he snaps a few photos of his own. 

Once he is finished with the pictures he brings his tape measure back out and jots down a few more numbers before reaching out for Taekwoon who has been watching him. Taekwoon takes his hand and follows him to the door easily.

“Bye, Hyung,” Sanghyuk grins as he waves them out.

Taekwoon throws him an absent wave and follows Hakyeon down the steep stairs and out of the building. When they’re about halfway down the block, he stops walking and turns towards Hakyeon, eyes wide. “I’m going to visit my sister and the baby on Wednesday.”

“That’s great! Please wish them well for me,” Hakyeon beams back at him.

“You want to go shopping though,” Taekwoon replies, brows furrowing at Hakyeon’s breezy tone.

“I’m sure Sanghyuk and I can manage a trip to IKEA without you,” he assures him with a quick pat on his shoulder. “Now, should we go find something to eat?”

Taekwoon is torn, “I really would love that, but I need to get home and check on Mochi,” he says. “But, you could come with me? I can make us something to eat?”

“That’s perfect,” Hakyeon replies, reaching out and taking Taekwoon’s hand. He gives it a quick squeeze before letting go.

When they’re walking up to Taekwoon’s apartment half an hour later, he winces, “I didn’t think about how messy it is in here before I asked you.”

“Your mess doesn’t bother me,” Hakyeon assures him. “I’m not even sure you own enough stuff for it to really be messy,” he laughs as they step inside.

Taekwoon sighs, but softens as Mochi runs up to him and nuzzles against his leg. He scoops her up, then winces as he sees two cardigans draped over the back of the sofa and the glass he used this morning still on the coffee table. He snags the dish, heading into the kitchen and sighing at the rest of the dishes stacked in it. He sets the glass on the counter and the cat on the floor, smiling as she weaves in and out of his legs as he pours food into her bowl. 

“I’m not usually this messy,” he explains to Hakyeon who is leaning casually against the cabinet and watching him.

“You had a rough weekend,” Hakyeon shrugs. “Happens to us all. Need help with anything?”

“No, no. The dishes will only take a few minutes, so if you can wait until they’re cleared to eat, I can make us something after.” 

“Let me make you dinner?” Hakyeon asks coming over to settle next to him.

Taekwoon looks at him skeptically, “You’re not very good at cooking though, are you?”

“I can cook! Just nothing fancy like you. You do dishes, I’ll make more for you to do later,” he quips turning away and rifling through the small pantry Taekwoon has.

Taekwoon sighs giving in, and gets to work wiping down the sink so he can finish the chore. By the time he is finished, Hakyeon is cracking four eggs directly onto slices of thick cut bread with only a mayonnaise border to prevent them from sliding off. He watches as Hakyeon sprinkles sugar on them before he slides them somewhat precariously into the oven. “What the hell are you making?” he asks on a bewildered laugh.

“My version of eggs in a basket,” Hakyeon returns easily. He slides over to where Taekwoon leans back on the counter and loops his arms around his neck, leaning in to press their lips together in a kiss. 

It’s quick, over before Taekwoon is even really sure it started, and he finds himself swaying forward when Hakyeon moves back, unconsciously chasing him.

“I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” Hakyeon confesses, less than a centimeter of space between them.

“So do it again,” Taekwoon whines. He doesn’t wait for Hakyeon to do so. Instead he surges forward and presses their lips together again, his arms encircling Hakyeon’s waist, keeping him close. Taekwoon kisses him unhurriedly, with all the time in the world.

“You’re surprisingly good at that,” Hakyeon says against his lips when they’ve broken apart once more.

“What’s that mean?” Taekwoon bristles, jerking back a little to look at the other.

“Just that you’re incredibly shy sometimes, so it’s good to see you taking charge,” Hakyeon soothes, leaning forward and kissing the tip of Taekwoon’s nose. “I like discovering the reality versus the expectation.”

Taekwoon drops his arms now, side eyeing him, “So now you’re saying you expected me to be a bad kisser?” he is enjoying seeing Hakyeon squirm more than he should.

“No, I’m not trying to say that!” Hakyeon pleads with a desperate wave of his hands, “I like seeing the different sides to you, is all I meant,” he finishes hastily.

Taekwoon holds out for a few more seconds before breaking into a grin, “And you’re surprisingly easy to tease sometimes.”

Hakyeon pouts, hits Taekwoon’s shoulder with more force than Taekwoon expects, but leans forward to steal one last kiss before returning to the oven to check on their dinner. “Two more minutes,” he declares. 

Taekwoon nods, getting plates from the cabinet and handing them to Hakyeon before grabbing them both drinks from the refrigerator. He sets the drinks on the table and watches as Hakyeon slides two pieces of toast onto each plate and cuts each into four pieces. 

“Ta-dah!” Hakyeon smiles as he serves Taekwoon.

“Thank you,” Taekwoon replies, regarding the food with slight apprehension. 

“Will you please try it before deciding you hate it?” Hakyeon laughs as he drops into the seat across from him.

Taekwoon throws him an apologetic smile before taking one of the pieces and popping the whole thing into his mouth. It’s crunchier than he expected, and sweeter, but not as offensive as he imagined. He chews, swallows then nods, “I don’t hate it,” he offers diplomatically. 

“I’ll take that,” Hakyeon laughs biting into his own food. “It’s probably an acquired taste, but I like it,” he shrugs.

“Still,” Taekwoon begins, continuing to eat, “I think I should still be the one cooking for the show,” he says.

“Luckily for me there’s no food this week,” Hakyeon grins back.

Taekwoon huffs, “I hate weeks where I feel useless,” he gripes. 

“You’re not useless,” Hakyeon corrects him immediately. “You were amazing in the kid’s room one. Then his face lights up and he lets out a small laugh.

Taekwoon looks at him curiously.

“You know,” Hakyeon begins, “this is like a second kid’s room challenge for us. I know I knly just met him, but Sanghyuk is basically just a really big kid, wouldn’t you say?”

Taekwoon grins back at him, “That’s the perfect description.”

They finish their meal, and Hakyeon plays with Mochi while Taekwoon once again takes care of the dishes. 

“This is my favorite cat I’ve ever met,” Hakyeon says as Taekwoon comes into the living room one is is done.

Hakyeon is sprawled out on the floor, an old shoe lace-turned-cat-toy in his hand as he flicks it across the floor for Mochi to chase. 

“She’s a good one,” he replies affectionately as he sinks on the couch. It’s a good sight watching Hakyeon and Mochi. It fills him with the same affection as seeing Hakyeon with Munyul had, a homey feel. He doesn’t think on that too hard because this is still very new and he doesn’t want to make it into something it’s not.

After Mochi has grown tired of the game and slinks off to other parts of the apartment, Hakyeon rolls over, pushing himself into a standing position. He gives Taekwoon a sad look, “It’s getting late,” he says.

Taekwoon glances at the clock, then nods, “I guess it is.” He stands, an internal war raging within him and he drifts toward Hakyeon. He wants to do what he did earlier, ask Hakyeon to stay, but he knows it’s not a good idea. Not yet. “I think this week is going to be a lot of fun to plan,” he says instead.

“It will be. Lots of excuses for us to see each other,” Hakyeon says, voice hushed as he leans in again.

Taekwoon meets him halfway, relishing the kiss they share. “I’m still mad you’re shopping without me on Wednesday,” he says as they walk towards the door.

“You’ll survive,” Hakyeon gins, stooping down to tie his shoes back.

“Goodnight,” Taekwoon says, stealing one last kiss as Hakyeon stands and reaches for the door.

“Goodnight,” Hakyeon replies, the door clicking softly behind him.

\------

Wednesday finds Hakyeon sitting in the cafe of IKEA sipping on an iced tea, planning out future videos to film, and waiting on Sanghyuk to arrive. His meeting with his newest client had ended earlier than he thought, so he decided to head over to the store early and get a dessert and some work done while he waited. Sanghyuk had texted nearly an hour ago saying he had just left work, so Hakyeon knows he should be there very soon.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Sanghyuk huffs as he approaches Hakyeon at the table a few minutes later.

“It’s nothing, I kept myself busy,” Hakyeon assures him stuffing his notebook back into his bag and shouldering it. “Now, let me ask you before we wander aimlessly, what kind of space do you see yourself living in?”

Sanghyuk hesitates, “I’m not really sure, just something a little more…sophisticated?”

“Something that doesn’t look like a college dorm?” Hakyeon asks with a leads Sanghyul towards the shopping carts.

Sanghyuk grins at him, “Exactly. I have a salaried job now, so I don’t think I should have posters taped to my walls anymore.”

“There’s nothing wrong with displaying your interests,” Hakyeon replies, guiding him towards the furniture section. “You just need a way to display it that shows the value the items hold to you. So while tape may not be the right medium, there is a way to incorporate your posters into a more sophisticated design.”

Sanghyuk looks relieved.

“I’m not here to throw out everything you own and tell you it is garbage. If you decide you like the couch you have more than anything we see here, then we’ll keep it and make it look brand new. We can cover it, replace cushions, make it look and feel brand new,” he assures the younger. “Now, are any of these couches speaking to you?”

“You…hear the couches speaking? That’s really scary, Hyung. Maybe we should get you checked out?” Sanghyuk asks worriedly. 

Hakyeon chops the back of his head, “You know what I meant,” he says. “Now tell me, do you like any of these?”

Sanghyuk cackles then leads him over to a low black couch with short arm rests. “This looks kind of cool,” he says dropping down onto it. 

Once he’s settled, his knees are near his eyes and Hakyeon is the one laughing. “I think that may be a little low for you,” he grins. “You could change out the feet, but how do the arms feel?”

Sanghyuk leans against the arm and makes a face, “Low,” he says. He glances around and sighs. “All of these look low. Are all Swedish people tiny?”

“I think they just go for clean lines and modern looks. Or at least the IKEA designers do. If you like the lines of your current couch we can save you some money by just recovering it in new fabric,” Hakyeon suggests.

“It is pretty comfortable,” Sanghyuk nods. “Okay, let’s do that.”

“To fabric then!” Hakyeon declares. He reaches down and helps the younger into a standing position before he leads him to textiles. He watches silently as Sanghyuk gravitates towards the darker fabrics. “Do you want something with a pattern, or just a solid color?”

“I think maybe a solid? I don’t want it to look too—out there?” he asks.

Hakyeon nods. “Well, what are some of your favorite colors?” 

“I like blues, and grays, black maybe?” Sanghyuk replies. “Are those okay for a couch?”

“Of course those are fine. You could tell me you wanted fuchsia and I will make that happen and look good. It’s your apartment, whatever you want, Taekwoon and I will do our best to make you happy.”

Sanghyuk grins at him, “I can have a pink couch?”

“Only if you really want,” Hakyeon sighs. “Now, will you tell me which color you actually want?”

Sanghyuk chooses a charcoal fabric which Hakyeon puts inside their cart. They wander to shelving and Sanghyuk chooses two units, one much smaller than the other, to serve as a television stand. Hakyeon takes note of the names of the pieces so he can find them and arrange delivery for Saturday instead of having either of them trying to navigate the transit system with furniture. He has Sanghyuk choose a few bins and baskets as well so they can fill out the unit and hold his belongings.

“Is everything going to look too…square?” Sanghyuk asks as they make their way to the checkout a couple of hours later.

“Because all of the storage you’re choosing? I’ll send you some options of things we can add to round it out a bit if that’s a concern,” Hakyeon says. “I have a few ideas up my sleeve I haven’t revealed to you yet,” he says cryptically.

“Sounds scary,” the younger laughs. 

Once their purchases are made and delivery is set for the weeknd, Hakyeon pulls Sanghyuk into a quick hug.

Sanghyuk gives him a slightly bewildered, but happy look in response.

“I just wanted to say thank you for talking Taekwoonie into doing this show. I’ll be grateful to you forever for bringing him into my life. I’ve had so much fun getting to know him over the last month and a half,” Hakyeon says sincerely.

“I bet you have,” the younger returns, eyes sparkling.

“We’ll make sure you love your room by the end of the weekend, I promise,” Hakyeon plows on, ignoring the remark and urging Sanghyuk towards his bus.

“I trust you,” Sanghyuk smiles as he disappears.

After Hakyeon is settled on his bus, he texts Taekwoon.

Sanghyuk is adorable. You should be nicer to him

_Not you too. Why doesn’t anyone else believe that he is the spawn of satan?_

He is a giant baby

Hakyeon grins down at his phone.

_Believe what you will. Will I see you tomorrow?_

I’ll bring you lunch?

_Perfect._

Hakyeon sits back in his seat and continues to text Taekwoon, giving him an overview of the vision he has for the new space the rest of his way home.

\------

Thursday morning passes by for Taekwoon relatively quickly due to two meetings and a sit down with his boss detailing where he is at on his project for the acquisition. He’s only just returned to his desk when Hakyeon’s message of “I’m here” pops up on his phone screen.

He slips out of his cube and sets off towards the reception area to meet him there so they can go to the cafeteria instead of bringing Hakyeon back to his desk during the workday. He pauses, briefly, when he sees Sanghyuk going in the same direction, but shrugs it off and continues on. It only dawns on him when Sanghyuk gets to Hakyeon several paces before he does that Hakyeon must have invited him as well.

“Strategy lunch!” Hakyeon grins holding up two bags of takeout.

Taekwoon tries not to show his disappointment, but he’s sure something must have slipped past since his coworker is grinning at him. He gives Hakyeon a smile in greeting and leads them to the cafeteria. They snag an empty table near a window in the back and as Hakyeon starts doling out food, he sends the youngest to the vending machine to get drinks.

“Why are you upset?” Hakyeon asks once Sanghyuk is out out of earshot.

Taekwoon hesitates, but eventually sighs and decides to come clean, “I thought it was just going to be us. I haven’t seen you since Monday and I’m just—” he waves a hand vaguely hoping that conveys his feelings. Hakyeon looks truly apologetic and Taekwoon feels bad all over again, “It’s silly,” he shrugs. “This is a good idea so we can finalize plans before the weekend.”

“Your feelings are not silly,” Hakyeon says. 

Sanghyuk is returning, three drinks in hand, and Taekwoon waves him off, “It’s fine, really.”

They settle in, Hakyeon pulling his trusty notebook out so he can jot down ideas as they eat. “Okay, so we bought that one large cube system to use as a divider instead of your hospital curtain,” he throws a grin at Sanghyuk, “and a smaller one to use under your television. I was actually thinking of mounting the TV on the wall so the shelving can be fully utilized instead of the set taking up the entirety of the top of it,” he explains, sketching a basic layout to show what he means. “What do you think?”

“I like that. It’ll bring my PlayStation up off the floor too, “ he laughs. 

“Less college, more working professional!” Hakyeon grins. “With the three of us working together, I think we can really transform the space in the time we have. I also bought this fabric to re-cover your pillows and I’m thinking about sewing some cases for your bed pillows to tie the spaces together.” he says pulling out a swatch of white fabric with charcoal stripes in varying thicknesses running along it. 

“I like the fabric,” Sanghyuk nods. “Nothing you’ve talked about has scared me so far, so I’m fully on board with this.”

Taekwoon is fairly silent during the exchange since design is not his strong suit. He’s content to sit back and watch Hakyeon in his element and how he interacts with a client.

“You’re pretty quiet over there, Hyung. Mad I’m stealing your man?” Sanghyuk grins at him.

Taekwoon scowls at him in response, continuing to eat his lunch without dignifying the dig with a response.

Hakyeon throws them both an amused look, returning to his own lunch. “You know, after the competition we should all go out. Us three,” he says gesturing to them, “and get Jaehwan, Hongbin and Wonshik too. Complete the circle.” 

“You make it sound like we’re summoning a demon,” Taekwoon scoffs.

“Maybe we will,” Hakyeon shrugs. He is clearly enjoying the dubious looks he is drawing from both Taekwoon and Sanghyuk.

“We can probably manage that,” Taekwoon agrees. 

Hakyeon snorts and Sanghyuk stares at them both wide eyed before laughing himself. The rest of lunch passes in easy conversation as they chat about possibilities for the walls.

After lunch, Taekwoon lingers in the lobby with Hakyeon, Sanghyuk throwing him a knowing look on his way back to their office. 

“Are you still coming to dinner tomorrow?” Taekwoon asks hopefully.

“Absolutely. I miss home cooking,” Hakyeon grins playfully.

“Good, Mom will be happy to hear it.” He really wants to lean in and give the other a kiss, but he also doesn’t want to get fired, so he keeps himself in check. “Thank you again for bringing us lunch,” he says instead.

“I’m sorry it wasn’t what you expected,” Hakyeon replies gently.

Taekwoon shakes his head, “It’s fine. You can make it up to me sometime.”

Hakyeon’s responding laugh is bright and clear and has Taekwoon grinning back at him. “I’ll meet you at your place tomorrow?” he asks hesitantly, “That way we can go together?”

“I’d like that,” Taekwoon replies. He gives Hakyeon a small wave and bids him a quick goodbye before he returns to his cubicle to finish his work.

Friday they’re seated closely on the bus, Hakyeon’s hand slipped into his, hidden in the tiny amount of space between them, and Taekwoon is content as they watch the scenery roll by. When they make their way inside his parents’ house a while later, both his mom and dad are in the living room, the sole audience members in a concert featuring Minyul. They hang back, waiting until his song is finished before joining in the applause.

Minyul spins, eyes wide, but when he sees them he breaks out into a huge smile and launches himself at Taekwoon who obligingly picks him up. “I didn’t know you were here yet,” Minyul says, arms slung around Taekwoon’s neck.

“We wanted to surprise you,” Taekwoon returns. Minyul reaches out for Hakyeon and Taekwoon is more than happy to pass him to the other, smiling as Minyul wraps his arms around Hakyeon and squeezes.

“You were great just now,” Hakyeon tells the child with a bright smile.

After he’s been set down, Minyul returns to dancing as Taekwoon gestures Hakyeon further inside. 

“We’re glad you decided to come again,” his mom says as she stands up to hug both her son, then Hakyeon.

His father stays seated, giving them both a small wave in greeting. 

“I’m grateful you invited me back. Sorry I didn’t bring anything this time, but Taekwoonie insisted it was unnecessary.”

“It _is_ unnecessary,” Taekwoon mumbles drawing a laugh from his mom.

“Yes, what you brought last week is more than enough. The candles smell wonderful,” she assures him.

“Thank you,” Hakyeon smiles back. 

“Is Taemi cooking tonight?” Taekwoon asks dropping down onto the loveseat and scooting over so Hakyeon can join him.

“She is.” 

Hakyeon however is drawn to a bookshelf on the far side of the room where old pictures are scattered among the books and other knickknacks, and Taekwoon braces himself.

“Is this baby Taekwoon?” he asks, pointing to a picture of a small boy chasing a soccer ball.

“It is,” his mom confirms, rising to join Hakyeon. “Wasn’t he adorable?”

“Mom, can we not—” Taekwoon’s protest is cut off as his mom ignores him and promptly retrieves one of the photo albums and opens it.

“He was such an affectionate child, still is really,” she says throwing him a smile. “And so very spoiled.”

Hakyeon’s smile is so wide as they flip through the album that Taekwoon can’t find it in himself to be truly mad. Instead he settles back in his seat and chats with his dad about how Eunkyung and Hana are doing since he last saw them a few days ago. 

Finally his mom and Hakyeon rejoin them, Hakyeon grinning at him and holding a photo in his hand. “What is that?” Taekwoon asks warily.

“Tiny Taekwoon,” Hakyeon coos showing him the photo of a young Taekwoon looking a little lost as he wandered around near a temple.

“Why are you giving away my baby pictures?” he asks turning to his mom eyes wide.

“I had two copies of that one,” she shrugs.

“Why do you want my baby picture?” he rounds on Hakyeon.

“I’m going to make a cute frame for it and give it back to your mom,” he shrugs. 

“You’re so weird,” Taekwoon huffs sinking further back into the couch, cheeks reddening despite his best efforts to remain unaffected.

Throughout dinner Taemi keeps trying to needle details of the weekend challenge out of them since there is no hint from Taekwoon’s cooking experiments this week. 

“You’ll have to watch next week,” Taekwoon says evenly. 

“How many more weeks are left?” his father asks as dinner is winding down.

“Well, if we make it past this weekend then it’s onto the finale next,” Hakyeon replies. 

“So close! We’re surprised Taekwoonie made it this far,” Taemi grins at him. Their mom shoots her a look and she rolls her eyes. “He knows I’m teasing and I am actually very proud of all of the work he has done and what you both have accomplished,” she tells Hakyeon.

Hakyeon’s grins back, “I’m proud too,” he agrees.

Hakyeon is sent into the living room with Taemi and Minyul while Taekwoon helps clear the table and his parents do the dishes. As he drops off a stack of plates, his mom’s hand on his arm stops him. “You and Hakyeonnie,” she says nodding towards the living room, “something is there now?”

Taekwoon squirms under her gaze. “Maybe?” he asks, cheeks feeling hot again.

“What does ‘maybe’ mean?” she asks, eyes narrowing.

“We haven’t really talked about it yet?” he nearly squeaks.

“Your generation won’t commit to anything,” his dad grumbles setting glasses down near the sink to join the plates.

“Can we please stop talking about this?” Taekwoon begs. He also wants the earth to open up and swallow him whole. “It’s embarrassing.”

“We just love you and want you to be happy. We can see that he makes you happy,” his mom says leaning in and giving him a kiss on the forehead. 

“I am, I promise,” he says leaning into her touch. And he is. Happier now that he has Hakyeon to talk to and keep him distracted from all of the times work is starting to take its toll on him. Happier now that he can kiss Hakyeon (almost) whenever he wants, but he’ll never admit that last one to his parents.

He joins Hakyeon chatting with his sister about how easy it is to sew new pillows for a couch if you have a machine. “The only kind of tricky part is the last side, but if you can’t get the pins to stay you can always sew that one by hand. 

“Good, our couch needs new life,” she says poking at one of the pillows.

“Pillows are a great way to make an old space feel new,” Hakyeon smiles.

Taekwoon’s heart feels full again. Seeing Hakyeon be so at home with his family, able to chat with them easily, and fit like a missing piece is something he never knew he needed. “We need to go soon,” Taekwoon says a little sadly glancing at his watch.

“Already?” Minyul asks, coming up to wrap his arms around Taekwoon’s leg.

“Yeah, we have to do another competition tomorrow,” Hakyeon tells him running his fingers through his nephew’s hair. “It’s only for a couple more weeks,” he assures him, “then we can hang out on weekends again.”

Minyul nods, but the sniffles start anyway. Taekwoon throws a helpless look at his sister.

“Okay, bud, give Uncle Taekwoonie and Uncle Hakyeonnie hugs and then we’ll go see if Grandma has any extra cookies,” she says coming to the rescue.

Minyul snuffles into Taekwoon’s shoulder when he bends down to hug him, then does the same to Hakyeon. Taekwoon’s heart breaks a little.

“Will you tell Mom and Dad we said bye?” he asks.

“Yeah, go. Good luck tomorrow!” she calls as they slip their shoes back on and head for the bus stop.

“I hate leaving like that,” Taekwoon sighs as they near their destination.

“I was about to suggest we sleep over until your sister stepped in,” Hakyeon agrees. “I’m glad she did because, sadly, I have to go home tonight,” Hakyeon sighs leaning against Taekwoon as they sit and wait for their respective buses. 

“That is sad,” Taekwoon murmurs. 

“Maybe tomorrow I’ll bring a change of clothes,” Hakyeon muses, voice low as his bus approaches.

Taekwoon gulps, Hakyeon’s words loud in his head. “You should,” he whispers.

Hakyeon steals a quick kiss before the bus comes to a stop in front of them and gives Taekwoon a cheery wave as he gets on. “Good night,” he calls.

Taekwoon gives him an absent wave in response.

\------

True to his word, Hakyeon packs an overnight bag before he leaves the next morning. If he has a little extra skip in his step as he walks into the studio, who could blame him? Without a strict theme to work with, he’s opted for a black and white striped t-shirt, fitted darkwash jeans, and a pair of Converse high tops, the laces looped around his ankles and then tied. Since they’re down to two, no, three teams again, the greenroom is less crowded. Taekwoon hasn’t shown up yet, but Junghoo is getting his makeup done as Hakyeon sets his bag down. “Do you know who the other team is yet?” he asks, dropping down onto the couch to wait for Taekwoon before getting made up.

“No, I think they’re keeping them a secret until cameras are on us,” the other replies.

Hakyeon nods. He had expected as such, but was hoping someone had slipped up. “I guess we’ll find out soon then. How was planning with your client?” he asks.

“A nightmare,” Jungoo groans. “It’s Gyujin’s brother and he has the _worst_ taste I have ever seen. His wife is so nice, but he wants to live in a frat house while she wants some sort of modern country theme and we have to somehow strike a balance. It’s tiring.”

Hakyeon laughs, “We’re working with Taekwoonie’s co-worker, who is younger. We’re trying to make his place not look like a college dorm, so almost the opposite mission.”

Gyujin enters then and drops into the makeup chair next to his partner and Hakyeon settles back onto the couch, chatting idly with both of them until Taekwoon appears a few minutes later. 

“Morning,” Taekwoon yawns as he drops down on the sofa next to Hakyeon, a little closer than normal.

“Morning,” Hakyeon laughs. “Long night?”

“I had a bit of inspiration when I got home, so I stayed up later than I meant to working on a new song, he explains dropping his head to rest on Hakyeon’s shoulder.

Hakyeon hums, his hand coming up to card through Taekwoon’s hair. “Will you ever let me hear one?”

“This one I might,” Taekwoon says quietly, eyes slipping closed as Hakyeon pets him.

Soon after, Gyujin and Junhoo are done, so Hakyeon and Taekwoon take their places. They wait patiently while the stylists get to work on them. “How are you guys going to do our makeup tomorrow on the location shoot?” Taekwoon asks absently as the stylist working on him swipes foundation over his cheeks.

“One of us will be at each site for filming,” she explains. “We can work outside of this room you know,” she chides.

“I know that, I just didn’t know how it was being handled,” Taekwoon pouts. 

“Now you do,” she laughs.

Once they’re in the studio, they fall into their usual act of hanging back at their station until Jaehwan and Wonshik wander in to start filming. It’s becoming a familiar routine, one, if he’s honest with himself, he will miss once they’re out of the competition or filming is complete, whichever comes first. He throws a look over to Taekwoon who is looking more relaxed than he has at the start of any of the previous weeks of filming. “Just in time for you to get used to this, filming is winding down,” Hakyeon grins.

“I also don’t have to worry about you trying to dress me up on theme this week,” Taekwoon returns. 

Hakyeon smiles at him, “I’ll figure something out. It’s tradition,” he assures.

Taekwoon throws him a sullen look in reply. 

“Maybe I’ll throw in something for Sanghyuk too, even it out a little so he’s not the only one who can tease,” Hakyeon proposes.

Taekwoon cracks at that, lips quirking up into the smallest of smiles and Hakyeon is beaming back at him, satisfied.

“Okay Crafters, we need you up at the front and ready to start the Quick Craft,” Hongbin calls out.

They walk forward to their their mark and wait patiently for instructions as Jaehwan and Wonshik enter together.

“Good morning Crafters, and welcome to the semi-finals,” Jaehwan begins a few minutes later. “You’ve worked extremely hard to get to this point and we continue to be impressed by the things you create. Hakyeon, Taekwoon,” he says turning to them.

Hakyeon straightens up and looks Jaehwan in the eye.

“You two struggled a bit last week and were very close to being sent home. How has that affected your strategy moving forward?”

Hakyeon relaxes minutely. “It hasn’t really. We’re confident in what we have planned for tomorrow and that we can tackle the challenges you present us with today. Even though our vision did not fully translate last week, we are still proud of the effort we put in.”

“Confidence. I like it,” Jaehwan grins. “Now, Junghoo and Gyujin, you two are coming off a very solid victory. How has that affected your team’s strategy for today?”

“We’re also just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing. Hakyeon and Taekwoon had a weird week last week, but we know they’ll come back stronger so we have to make sure we’re ready for the challenge.” Gyujin says.

“Sounds like both teams are going to give their all this week. We told you last week that one more team would be coming back to face you. I would like to bring out the winners of our second chance competition. Please, welcome back Jia and Jaehyun!” 

Hakyeon, Taekwoon, Jungoo and Gyujin applaud and welcome the returning contestants back warmly. It’s been a few weeks since they have seen one another, and Hakyeon wants details about what they’ve been doing, but those will have to wait since Jaehwan is calling for attention again.

“Now that we’re all here, it’s time to reveal this week’s Quick Craft. Since we’re focusing on home decor, we wanted to keep the challenges in line with that so we are asking you to make a housewarming gift. As usual, you will have access to the crafting closet and you will have twenty minutes. Your time starts now!”

Hakyeon’s mind starts spinning going through all of the options he can think of for a housewarming gift as he moves automatically toward the Craft Closet. “I’m thinking fake plants? Those will look homey,” he says they enter the closet and see all of the supplies. “Do me a favor and grab some variety of plants off the wall while I find a planter or two,” he instructs.

He finds a plain terracotta pot and several colors of paint and grabs those before turning around to see Taekwoon holding an armful of fake plants. “Above and beyond, Taekwoonie” he grins before they set off back to their station. When they arrive he turns to Taekwoon, “What reminds you of Sanghyuk?” he asks.

“What?” Taekwoon asks, brow furrowed as he contemplates the question.

“What is he into, how can we personalize this planter so it screams ‘Sanghyuk’ to you?’” he asks.

“Minions,” Taekwoon replies. “He’s obsessed with them. Has a bunch on his desk.”

“Minions,” Hakyeon muses, “I can work with that. Paint this solid yellow for me while I look up Minion faces,” he instructs handing Taekwoon the planter and a paintbrush. “Once we have the base we’ll hit it with the heat gun this time so hopefully it can dry and we can add the features.”

Fifteen minutes later they have a mostly dry Minion with a head full of flowers ready for the judges to inspect. There is a pile of leftover flowers still sitting on their table and Hakyeon takes one of the pink azaleas and threads it behind his ear. He finds a matching one and threads it behind Taekwoon’s who sighs heavily in return. “Don’t worry, I’ve already given you a flower crown, so there will be something else later,” he says cheerily.

“Why would that worry me?” Taekwoon grumbles, shifting under Hakyeon’s wicked smile.

“Crafters, your time is up!” Jaehwan calls.

Hakyeon turns off the heat gun and steps away from the planter so the judges can come inspect it.

“Ohh, a Minion!” Soljin says after Hakyeon turns the planter to face them.

“Banana!” Jaehwan and Heechul say together.

“Can you tell us a little about the…choices you’ve made here?” Kibum asks, fighting off a smile.

“Our homeowner we are helping tomorrow is Taekwoon’s colleague and friend, Sanghyuk, so we decided to personalize a planter to give to him. When I asked Taekwoon what comes to mind when he thinks of Sanghyuk, he said “Minions,” Hakyeon explains.

“Why the fake flowers? So it doesn’t look empty?” Kibum asks again.

“Hyogi is younger and has told me he is bad at keeping plants alive. We figured this way he would only have to dust them off once a week,” Taekwoon returns, face devoid of humor.

Hakyeon however snorts at the response.

“Well, this is very inventive and personalized to your homeowner. We’re very impressed,” Heechul says. 

Hakyeon gives Taekwoon a quick hug, and they wait for the judges to look at the other offerings—a homemade room refresher made from citrus and essential oils, and a personalized doormat with “HELLO” spelled out in bright colors.

“Crafters, after a brief deliberation, our judges have decided that Hakyeon and Taekwoon will be the recipients of the extra ten minutes tomorrow with their Minion planter” Jaehwan announces. 

Hakyeon gives Taekwoon another hug, and they set their planter off to the side to finish drying before they pack it up to bring to Sanghyuk’s house in the morning. 

“I feel good about this week,” Hakyeon says while they wait for the staff to reset the studio for the Upcycle challenge. “This is my week,” he grins.

“Every week is your week,” Taekwoon rolls his eyes. “It’s like we’re on a crafting show or something.”

Hakyeon reaches over and smacks the back of Taekwoon’s head, softening the blow by running his fingers over the same spot to soothe after. “You’re annoying. You’re lucky I like you. I wouldn’t put up with your mouth otherwise.”

They’re summoned by Hongbin again shortly after and line back up at the front. There are three small tables set up in an identical fashion behind Jaehwan, Hakyeon eyes them, but he can’t figure out what they are from the silhouettes. 

“Alright, you all know by now this is our Upcycle Challenge. You will get 45 minutes to create something new from the items behind me. This time, we’re going to borrow a line from another competition show and say ‘use a little or a lot” of what is provided.”

Hakyeon throws Taekwoon a confused look and the other shrugs, shaking his head.

“Here is this week’s upcycle challenge sticking with the home, you must upcycle these dishes,” Jaehwan says. 

The covers are pulled away and there are three identical settings of dishes before them. As Jaehwan calls time, Hakyeon is moving, not because he has a fully formed plan yet, but because he knows time of of the essence. He and Taekwoon grab their dishes and head back to their station. He’s staring at the materials and trying to figure out how to transform them when an idea clicks. “We’re going to try something risky,” he warns. He grabs the bowl, salad plate, and dinner plate and sets them off to the side. “Can you go to the Craft Closet and look for the thickest metal wire you can find? If you can’t find wire, get twine,” he asks Taekwoon.

While Taekwoon is off in search of material, Hakyeon digs out their drill, masking tape, a sharpie, and prepares a small bowl of water with a sponge sitting in it. He begins by taping off three sections in a triangular shape along the edges of each plate and the bowl, making sure the spacing is even and identical on each. Once they’re taped, he marks each one with the sharpie so the intended hole is easy to find. 

Taekwoon returns holding thick twine, “Is this okay?”

“Perfect. Okay, we’re about to make a hanging fruit stand. I need you to take the sponge and and kind of drizzle water down onto the drill bit as I get it going. Kind of like we did with the seashells, only much more fragile. Grab some goggles and let’s go.”

Surprisingly, the drilling of the holes goes through without a hitch, and twenty minutes later they are standing with their fruit stand unassembled. Hakyeon directs Taekwoon in threading the twine from the bottom up, being careful to knot it in the same way they did the seashells. Once the dinner plate is secure, they move on to the salad plate and finally to the bowl, taking care to make sure each dish is level so any fruit potentially placed on it will not roll straight off the side. With thirty seconds to go Hakyeon fastens the last knot to tie the three pieces together and finish the stand. “I think we actually did it,” he laughs as they step back from the project as time runs down.

“We did,” Taekwoon confirms flopping into his seat.

“This looks breakable,” Jaehwan grins as they judges approach them minutes later.

“It is,” Hakyeon laughs. “It’s a hanging fruit basket,” he says holding it up to demonstrate the way it is supposed to hang. He sets it down gently soon after.

“This is impressive,” Kibum says, turning the bowl so he can inspect the construction. “I’m seriously impressed you didn’t crack any of the tableware,” he says stepping back.

“Me too,” Hakyeon confesses with a wry smile. “I was praying to everyone I could think of.”

“Looks like your prayers were answered,” Soljin says. “This is a beautiful piece I would love to have in my home,” she says.

“Wow, those may be the best remarks we’ve heard from our judges yet,” Jaehwan says. “You two are certainly redeeming yourselves today.”

Hakyeon beams as the judges move on and he relaxes, starting the cleanup process as filming winds down for the day. 

“Before you all leave, I want to remind you that tomorrow is our location shoot. You should be at the filming sites by 9:00 am so that we can start filming promptly at 10:00. Jaehwan and I will be popping by each site to check in on you throughout the day and the judges will start judging at precisely 1:00, but there will be cameras and an intern on each site so we will know if you try and cheat on time,” Wonshik calls before they can head out of the studio. “Have a good night!” he calls.

Hakyeon throws him a wave and follows Taekwoon back to the ready room. He has not actually broached the topic of spending the night with the other, but he hopes that his words the previous night were not taken as a joke. He decides being direct is the best course of action. 

“To prevent accidentally freaking you out, I just want to tell you before we leave here I really did pack an overnight bag,” Hakyeon says quietly as they enter the room, first as usual. “I can pretend like I didn’t and just go home after dinner, but I’m giving you the option of inviting me over,” he says.

Taekwoon’s eyes widen slightly as Hakyeon speaks, but then a soft smile graces his face. “I’d like that,” he replies.

Hakyeon’s relief is immediate and intense. “Oh, good,” he laughs. “I wasn’t sure if you thought I was joking last night, or were going to think I’m trying to move too fast,” he says as he grabs both of his bags and turns toward the door.

“That’s not a problem for me,” Taekwoon says seriously. “We could even skip dinner.”

Hakyeon barks out a laugh at that, head thrown back with the force of it. “Jung Taekwoon willing to skip a meal? I didn’t think I would ever see the day.” 

Taekwoon mumbles something shyly in return, but Hakyeon pulls him into a quick hug, “We can make dinner quick tonight,” he breaths onto the shell of Taekwoon’s ear.

Taekwoon shivers, then nods quickly in response. He slips his hand in Hakyeon’s then pulls Hakyeon towards the door and outside.

Dinner is their usual fare of Hakyeon making sure they both have everything they need while Taekwoon mans the grill. Conversation is less focused on strategy since they planned most of that out at lunch with Sanghyuk on Thursday and more about the little things they tend to chat about. “So, where do you see yourself in five years,” he asks Taekwoon as they eat.

Taekwoon scrunches his nose at the question, “What is this, a job interview?” he asks as he makes another lettuce wrap.

Hakyeon grins, “No, I’m just curious. You’ve expressed... frustration about your job before, so I’m just curious about your plans. He doesn’t want to pry, but feels like Taekwoon might actually be comfortable enough to confide in him now.

“I’d love to quit,” Taekwoon replies. “Make a full career of songwriting, but that’s extremely difficult. Writing for Jaehwan has given me some traction. His view count is rising with every new video he does and when he sings my songs the comments are overwhelmingly positive,” he explains. “I like being in the background for now though. I’m still not sure why I agreed to the show, but I’m glad I did.”

Hakyeon smiles back at him gently, “When you’re ready you’ll know it. I found Jaehwan’s channel by the way. I suspect I know which songs are yours, but neither he or Wonshik will confirm for me if I’m right,” Hakyeon pouts.

“They live to see another day,” Taekwoon replies evenly.

Hakyeon snorts. When he really had tried to wheedle the information out, Jaehwan flat out refused and Wonshik just laughed and told him he liked to see Hakyeon suffer too much to ruin the surprise. “I’ll get you to sing for me one of these days, whether you like it or not,” he says cryptically. “Anyway, are we about ready to head out of here?”

The tension that had settled somewhat during dinner returns tenfold as they pay the bill and gather their belongings. Hakyeon follows Taekwoon to the bus stop and settles in next to him. They are silent as they wait, pressed closer together than needed on the bench, but neither of them moves apart. Hakyeon snakes his hand into Taekwoon’s as they sit. 

When they finally get to Taekwoon’s apartment half an hour later, Hakyeon laughs as Taekwoon practically pushes him inside, only waiting long enough for the door to click shut behind them before pressing Hakyeon against the wall in a searing kiss. Hakyeon melts into it, arms coming up to loop around Taekwoon’s neck as he kisses back, licking into his mouth and pressing their bodies impossibly closer. Both of the bags he is holding are preventing him from fully enjoying this experience, but he is willing to deal with it for now.

The touch of something against his leg has Hakyeon pulling back, smiling down at the cat who is making her presence known. “Hey, Mochi,“ he says, squatting down to pet her and leaving Taekwoon looking kiss rumpled and a little annoyed. “We should probably move this out of the entryway anyway,” he grins up at the other.

Taekwoon nods and drops his bag before taking off his shoes. “I’ll get her some food, that’s what she wants,” he explains as he steps into the living room and towards the kitchen, Mochi on his heels. 

Hakyeon drops his own bags and makes quick work of stepping out of his shoes as well. Before he goes to join them in the kitchen, he shoulders his overnight bag. Taekwoon intercepts him in the living room and takes his hand, pulling him towards the bedroom instead. Hakyeon follows willingly, smiling as they enter and he sees the bedroom for the first time. It’s decorated sparsely, a few things on the dresser and only a digital clock on the nightstand, and Hakyeon expected nothing less. Taekwoon again shuts the door behind them and Hakyeon smiles as he wanders over to the far corner and drops his bag near the closet so he’s not holding it anymore. 

When he turns, Taekwoon’s nimble fingers are working open the buttons of his shirt and Hakyeon is torn between watching and helping him. In the end he decides to intervene, stepping forward and stilling Taekwoon’s hands on the buttons. “Can I?” he asks, looking up at him through his lashes.

Taekwoon nods, swallowing thickly and drops his hands to Hakyeon’s waist, thumbs drawing small circles through his shirt against the sensitive skin of his belly before dragging his hands up Hakyeon’s chest, the shirt coming with them, only stopping when it gets caught on his armpits.

Hakyeon works the rest of Taekwoon’s buttons open, exposing the pale skin of his chest and running his hands down his sides, enjoying the whimpers he is eliciting and the feel of Taekwoon’s soft skin against his own calloused fingers.

Taekwoon is impatient, pushing at Hakyeon’s shirt where it is bunched up, finally stepping back to force Hakyeon to stop touching him so he can get him out, tugging it over his head and tossing it to the side carelessly. He takes the opportunity to slip his own off his shoulders before tossing it to join Hakyeon’s, and sways forward, again latching himself onto Hakyeon’s neck.

“I just got rid of the marks,” Hakyeon whines as Taekwoon worries the skin at the juncture of his neck and shoulder. His hands coming up to find purchase on Taekwoon’s biceps. 

“And now you get more,” Taekwoon hums backing Hakyeon up until his knees hit the end of the bed. He pushes him down gently until he is laying back, feet still on the floor. Taekwoon stands, slotting himself between Hakyeon’s legs and looms over him. He reaches forward, tugging at the button on Hakyeon’s jeans until it gives, then pulls the zipper down.

Hakyeon hooks his own fingers into the waistband of both his underwear and pants and shimmies them off himself until he is laying completely exposed for Taekwoon. He squirms a bit under his intense gaze, fighting the urge to cover himself until Taekwoon is divesting himself of his own pants and urging Hakyeon further up the bed until Taekwoon is laying over him, his weight solid on Hakyeon. “I’m not sure how you want to do this,” Hakyeon gasps as Taekwoon’s mouth returns to his neck, then drags up until they are kissing again. “I’m good with—whatever,” he pants into Taekwoon’s mouth, mind going fuzzy as he ruts mindlessly up into Taekwoon’s thigh.

Taekwoon smiles down at him, adjusting himself so he is now, hovering over Hakyeon, most of his weight on his right arm as his left traces down Hakyeon’s side and wraps around his half hard cock. “Like this is good,” he says, pumping Hakyeon agonizingly slowly.

“Yes, yes,” Hakyeon nods, mouth hanging open as Taekwoon continues his ministrations. His hands come up to grip Taekwoon’s back, nails raking down the soft skin. He’s holding on for what feels like dear life as he starts to come undone from Taekwoon’s hand alone. “More would be good too though,” he whines after Taekwoon’s pace picks up, using the precome beading at the tip of his cock to make the slide a little easier.

“More?” Taekwoon hums, twisting his wrist on an upstroke.

“Yes,” Hakyeon gasps again, “please.”

Taekwoon nods, dropping a kiss on Hakyeon’s open lips and pushing himself into a kneeling position beside Hakyeon. He leans over, rooting around in his bedside drawer before returning with a bottle of lube and a condom. Dropping the foil packet on Hakyeon’s stomach, he settles between his legs again, urging him to open up just a little more as he pops the cap on the bottle and drizzles some onto his fingers.

Hakyeon’s breath hitches slightly as Taekwoon’s long fingers rub gently at his hole, massaging lightly before he presses one long digit inside. He lets out a low moan as Taekwoon works, twisting his finger and spreading the lube around. He’s thorough, making sure Hakyeon is open and ready before pressing a second finger inside. Hakyeon revels in the stretch, the feel of Taekwoon’s fingers inside of him, urging him to open even more for him. He looks down the length of his body, then up to see Taekwoon staring at him and a wave of affection washes over him as Taekwoon studies him intently, watching for his reaction. Taekwoon drizzles more lube onto Hakyeon’s perineum, letting it glide down, before pressing a third finger in, twisting more, fingers moving against Hakyeon’s sensitive walls, searching, before Hakyeon lets out a small shout as Taekwoon finally finds his prostate. He rubs at it gently, coaxing more noises out of Hakyeon who is writhing beneath him.

“Wait, “ Hakyeon gasps, taking hold of Taekwoon’s wrist, “if you keep going like this I’m going to come,” Hakyeon pants.

Taekwoon smirks down at him, “That’s kind of the point,” he returns.

Hakyeon laughs breathlessly as Taekwoon continues to move his fingers in and out of him, thrusts shallower than before “I—I know but,” he breaks off on another moan as Taekwoon once again teases him, “I want to with you,” he finishes quickly.

Taekwoon finds mercy, gently pulling his fingers free and wiping them quickly on his own thigh before searching for the foil packet that is slightly underneath Hakyeon from where it fell from his movement. He makes quick work of the wrapper, rolling the condom on and eyes darting up to Hakyeon’s own as Hakyeon pops the cap on the bottle of lube this time and spreads it on his own fingers. 

“I want to do this part,” Hakyeon hums. He reaches forward, hand circling Taekwoon’s hard cock and coating him, returning the favor from earlier, hand gliding slowly up and down, pace lazy for as much as he wants Taekwoon in him now. He’s pleased when Taekwoon draws in a deep, staggering breath as Hakyeon teases at his head with his thumb through the thin layer of latex. 

“If you keep doing that, now I’m the one that’s going to come,” Taekwoon groans, taking hold of Hakyeon’s wrist and pressing it back against the bed, above his head.

“I thought that was the point?” Hakyeon asks innocently, blinking up at Taekwoon.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” Taekwoon mutters before leaning down and kissing Hakyeon hard again, effectively shutting him up and distracting him.

When Taekwoon finally pushes into him a minute later, it is slowly, languidly, letting Hakyeon feel every inch as he is stretched until he feels so full he doesn’t think he can take any more. 

“Fuck,” Taekwoon groans as he bottoms out, his hips pressed flush to Hakyeon’s body.

Hakyeon bobs his head in agreement, eyes screwed shut in pleasure, “Move,” he begs, canting his hips up to urge Taekwoon to do as he demands. 

The pace, like everything else has been, is tortuously slow. Taekwoon rocks backwards a few inches, then forward again several times before pulling almost all of the way out and pushing all the way in again. “Faster,” Hakyeon urges, wrapping his legs around Taekwoon’s waist and pulling him forward, “More,” it comes out on a gasp as Taekwoon grinds into him.

Taekwoon gives him what he wants, increasing his pace and drawing more moans out of Hakyeon. Without warning, he pulls almost all the way out again, grabbing Hakyenon’s left leg and pressing it up against his chest, changing the angle and thrusting harder.

“God, Taekwoon, yes,” Hakyeon chants as the other man fucks into him deeply, his hands on Taekwoon’s shoulders, pulling him down for a messy kiss. 

Taekwoon’s other hand finds Hakyeon’s cock again, dragging even more sounds out of him as he pumps him in time with his thrusts. 

Hakyeon comes with a shout moments later, gasping as Taekwoon pumps him through it, collecting his come and smearing it back down his cock. Then he absently reaches up to cup Hakyeon’s cheek as he slows down, thrusts going shallower as Hakyeon comes down from his orgasm.

“Keep going,” Hakyeon urges, drawing Taekwoon back to him once again. He surges up, kissing him once more. He clinches around him, enjoying Taekwoon’s gasp against his lips where they are still pressed together.

And Taekwoon does, picking his pace back up until Hakyeon is moaning Taekwoon’s name over and over again until Taekwoon pulses and comes inside of him.

Taekwoon collapses, burying his face into Hakyeon’s neck,narrowly avoiding the mess he made as he catches his breath. “Sorry,” he whispers laughing at the state of Hakyeon’s face where he had cupped his cheek earlier.

“You should be,” Hakyeon grumps. “I need a shower,” he groans.

“We’ll share, conserve water,” Taekwoon yawns. 

“Good. Now get off me before you fall asleep.”

“Five more minutes,” Taekwoon urges, snuggling more into Hakyeon. “Then we’ll get up.”

It’s twenty minutes later before they make it under the spray of warm water, and twenty more until they’ve stripped the sheets and remade the bed.

Taekwoon walks over to the door and opens it a crack so Mochi can join them if she decides later. “Now can I sleep?” Taekwoon asks turning sad eyes to the older.

“Now you can sleep,” Hakyeon smiles, carding his fingers through Taekwoon’s hair.

\------

Taekwoon wakes with a grunt the next morning as Mochi lands on his side before walking up him to stand on the pillow next to his head. He’s wrapped around Hakyeon, their feet tangled together, and he twists away from her nose at shne sniffs into his ear, her whiskers tickling him.

“What time is it?” Hakyeon asks, the sound muffled from where his face is still pressed into the pillow. 

Taekwoon blinks blearily at his bedside clock and groans “7:00,” he replies back, voice gravelly with sleep.

Hakyeon lets out a small whimper, burrowing further into the pillow before turning abruptly and sitting straight up, dislodging both Taekwoon and Mochi in the process. “Okay, I’m up,” he announces unnecessarily.

“Good for you. Take the cat and feed her so I can go back to sleep,” Taekwoon instructs, pulling the cover over his face.

Much to his dismay, Hakyeon does not follow the direction. Instead he coos at Mochi where she has settled back down above Taekwoon’s head and pulls the cover down, exposing Taekwoon to the morning once again. “I don’t think so. I will happily feed this precious kitty, but you’re going to feed us,” he says, swooping down to steal a kiss. 

Taekwoon lets out a whine, but blinks his eyes open again, “But I’m tired.”

“We’re both tired. Now get up so we can have breakfast before we need to get to Sanghyuk’s.”

Taekwoon lays there a minute longer under protest, but eventually sits up. He’s rewarded with a kiss on the top of the head from Hakyeon as he walks past him on his way to the bathroom, stopping briefly to get his overnight bag on his way.

“I guess I’ll feed you too then,” he tells Mochi as he swings out of bed and goes over to his dresser, fishing out a pair of briefs and an undershirt before making his way to the kitchen. 

He has a cup of coffee and the electric kettle on for Hakyeon to make tea by the time the other enters the kitchen to join him. “I can scramble us some eggs, or we can have cereal,” Taekwoon says over the rim of his coffee cup. “I haven’t been to the store this week,” he explains. He turns back to the cupboard to find the cereal and pull it down.

Hakyeon walks over and wraps his arms around Taekwoon from behind, resting his head against his back. “We can also get ready early and stop at the cafe for another drink and pick something up?” he says into Taekwoon’s shoulder.

“There is that,” Taekwoon nods relaxing back into Hakyeon’s touch. “But that means I have to get dressed and I can’t do this,” he turns into the circle of Hakyeon’s arms and kisses him deeply. Hakyeon tastes of mint toothpaste and is making a face as he pulls back.

“Morning and coffee breath is not a good look for you. But the lack of pants is. Cereal it is,” he declares with a grin.

Taekwoon huffs out a sigh, but hands Hakyeon two bowls so he can take care of it. “What kind of tea do you want? I only have green or black. Sorry,” he offers gesturing to the boxes of tea and the electric kettle.

“Black tea is fine,” Hakyeon smiles back at him from the refrigerator where he is getting the milk. 

Taekwoon adds a tea bag to a mug before pouring the boiling water over it and setting it down in front of Hakyeon.

Mochi, done with her food, curls around his feet as he sits down across from Hakyeon and pulls his bowl closer to himself. “Today is pretty straightforward, right?” he asks crunching.

“It should be, yeah.” Hakyeon replies. “We’re not painting since it is a rented space, so we only need to focus on the design elements. The IKEA furniture got there yesterday, so most of that is assembly and placement and between the three of us we should be able to knock it out. We also have the couch to re-cover, the pillows to update, and the posters to frame.”

“Hearing it all again makes it sound like too much to do,” Taekwoon groans.

“You’re just whiny this morning. Who knew sex would make you so whiny?” Hakyeon teases scooping up the last of his cereal.

“Who knew sex would make you so smug,” Taekwoon shoots back. He tips his bowl back, draining the last of the milk before throwing Hakyeon another look. He reluctantly pushes to his feet and starts to collect their dishes.

“I’ll wash those while you go get changed. We can still grab another drink on our way,” Hakyeon says taking the bowls from Taekwoon’s hand.

“But—”

“If you’re about to say I’m the guest and therefore can’t do dishes I will smack you,” Hakyeon promises. “If I can’t do dishes in my own boyfriend’s home, then there’s a problem.”

Taekwoon stills, eyes going wide at Hakyeon’s words. “Boyfriend?” he asks. 

“Oh,” Hakyeon says, eyes widening to match Taekwoon’s, “if you didn’t want—”

“No, I’m good. I just wasn’t—we didn’t talk about—you said you didn’t want Wonshik and Hongbin to know, but boyfriend is good,” Taekwoon says quickly. 

Hakyeon cringes at that, “Oh, yeah, I was being an idiot, please forget I ever said that.”

“I’m never letting you live it down,” Taekwoon replies as he leaves the room. “But I will let you do the dishes,” he calls over his shoulder as he returns to his room to get ready.

When they finally arrive at Sanghyuk’s apartment, everything is in a state of mild chaos. There are two camera men standing around while Hongbin and one of the stylists lounge on the couch. 

“There are so many people in here,” Sanghyuk whines at Taekwoon as they slip inside. “No one told me I had to wake up so early to let people in and look around.”

At both Taekwoon and Hakyeon’s looks of confusion, Hongbin steps in, “We had Wonshik, Jaehwan, and the judges in here to get a look at the ‘before’ of the room.”

“This is payback,” Taekwoon smirks. “Now it’s your turn to suffer.”

“Can I change my mind then? Is it too late?” he asks Hongbin.

“Way too late,” Hongbin confirms. “Now, one of you come get your face done, please,” he instructs the newcomers. 

Taekwoon hangs back, letting Hakyeon go first while he surveys the room. “It is going to be tricky navigating in here today,” he observes as he steps around the cameraman and into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.

“Just make yourself at home,” Sanghyuk snorts as Taekwoon does.

“By the way,” Hongbin says moving towards them, “each team has a sort of mobile craft closet that can help serve as extra workspace and the usual supplies,” he says.

“Oh?” Hakyeon asks perking up at the news.

“We rented a couple of moving trucks, so it’s not the most luxurious space, but there’s a sewing machine set up and a smaller version of the things we usually have available.”

“That sounds perfect,” Hakyeon replies.

“Besides having to go down dour flights of stairs to get there,” Taekwoon mutters drawing a laugh from the others.

Their makeup takes less time than usual due to the lack of studio lighting to contend with, so Taekwoon takes the extra time to enjoy his coffee while he lets Hakyeon prioritize their project list. 

“As soon as time starts we’re going to have Taekwoon assembling the small shelving unit while I teach you how to make some candles we’re going to put around the room as decoration,” he says to Sanghyuk.

“Making candles sounds dangerous, Hyung, will you make sure to protect me?” the youngest asks batting his eyes at Hakyeon who is positively cooing at the sight. 

“He wouldn’t let you do anything truly dangerous,” Taekwoon replies. “You’re not experienced enough.”

They trade places, Hakyeon going to sit next to Sanghyuk while Taekwoon gets his face done.

“And you’re suddenly a craft expert after six weeks?” Sanghyuk shoots back.

“I’m more experienced than you,” Taekwoon returns, puffing himself up a little.

Hakyeon sighs, “Taekwoonie is right, it’s not dangerous unless you’re an idiot and put your hand on hot metal,” he agrees. “However you’re also right and he’s not an expert,” he adds with a pat to Taekwoon’s head. “He’s better, but not an expert.”

Taekwoon scowls and the giggle Sanghyuk lets out will haunt him for years to come.

“Time is about to start, We’re going to start rolling in two minutes,” Hongbin calls out.

The three move to the center of the room, Taekwoon and Hakyeon flanking Sanghyuk on either side as they await the countdown. As soon as time starts, Hakyeon directs Sanghyuk to the kitchen area, one of the cameramen following them as Taekwoon turns to the boxes and finds the small shelving unit he is to assemble. 

After he finally gets the box open, he takes a second to glance through the directions and confirm that he does indeed have all the parts he will need. He then spreads out the pieces, grouping the panels by letter so that he can find them easily as he needs them. The directions are all in pictures, to presumably save paper by not translating into fifteen languages, but it takes longer than he wants to figure out which direction is up so he doesn’t accidentally install one of the panels backwards. He inserts the wooden dowels as instructed, then pushes it down onto the the base so it locks into place. From there he attaches the divider piece to the middle shelf with more dowels. It starts going downhill when he has to attach the other side to the unit. He makes the mistake of standing the unit up and hears a precarious crack. He lays it back down again with a curse.

“Hey, Hakyeonnie—” he starts, calling out to the other, but when he turns to look, Hakyeon and Sanghyuk are leaning towards one another, heads suspiciously close, as Hakyeon shows the younger how to carefully pour melted wax into a glass jar to make a candle. They don’t hear him, and Taekwoon’s annoyance and frustration levels spike, “Can one of you two please help me over here?” he calls louder.

Hakyeon says something to Sanghyuk, then he passes off the metal pitcher and comes over to Taekwoon, “What’s wrong?” he asks.

“I need someone to help hold this steady while I fit the top on it,” he says gesturing towards the unit.

Hakyeon kneels down across from him and together they tip the shelves back up, Hakyeon holding it level and helping to slide the last piece into place without too much stress on the thin pieces of particle board. 

“You two look like you’re having fun,” Taekwoon says evenly as he applies pressure to the top, attempting to get it to slide the whole way down.

“We are,” Hakyeon smiles back. “Sanghyuk is a really fast learner. I may adopt him as my protege after this.”

Taekwoon tenses at that, nodding as Hakyeon smiles at him. “You should,” he says instead. It’s a joke, he knows it is, but Hakyeon being so smitten with Sanghyuk grates on him a bit.

Hakyeon’s head tilts as he studies Taekwoon, but luckily the top finally slides into place and they have a completed piece. “This looks really good, you did well,” Hakyeon beams at him.

“Thank you. What is the next project on the list?” he asks, standing up.

“Sanghyuk is finishing up the last of the candles now, so I’m going to have him help you out with the second shelving unit because it is massive, and I’m going to run down and work on some pillows cases for the couch and the ones on the bed. 

“Am I going to be working on shelving all day?” Taekwoon asks dreading the prospect of interpreting more Swedish furniture directions.

“A good chunk of it, I’m afraid” Hakyeon replies with a wry smile. “It’s really going to change the space, especially with all of the personal details Sanghyuk and I are making. What you’re doing right now is going to make all the difference, I promise,” he adds.

They push the couch against the far wall to give Taekwoon and Sanghyuk enough space to assemble the next storage unit. Taekwoon takes charge, directing the younger to make separate piles of the pieces again so they can first make sure they have everything and not have to search for it later.

“Did you have to pick out the largest unit they have?” Taekwoon grumbles as he drags the last box towards them and cuts it open. “This one alone weighs as much as I do.”

“My poor delicate hyung,” Sanghyuk grins. “Don’t worry, I’ll do the heavy lifting from here on out if you can’t take it.”

Taekwoon wants to strangle him, but killing someone with cameras on you is not the smartest idea, so instead he ignores the remark and continues to sort the pieces into piles. The unit Sanghyuk and Hakyeon had chosen is the large version of one they’re using under the television. It’s so dark brown it’s almost black, but looks good in contrast against the white of the walls. Once they have all of the pieces lined up, Taekwoon takes a deep breath to prepare himself for another fight with furniture.

They are halfway done an hour later when Hakyeon reappears with Jaehwan in tow. 

“Hi! Just here checking in on your progress!” he says as he steps inside the apartment. “Looks…messy,” he grins.

Taekwoon turns to him, eyes narrowed, “Thanks for that assessment,” he grits out. He is focused on making sure that the piece he is holding is level for Sanghyuk so they don’t have a repeat of the ominous cracking sounds he experienced earlier with Hakyeon. 

“It is a bit of a mess right now, but progress always comes from chaos,” Hakyeon tells the host sagely.

“I’m going to use that whenever my own apartment is a wreck now,” Jaehwan muses. “It sounds better than saying ‘I’m lazy and don’t feel like cleaning.’” 

“That sounds kind of gross,” Sanghyuk chimes in. “Glad I don’t live with you.”

Taekwoon laughs as Jaehwan’s face crumples. “I’m going to make sure the judges hate this room,” he sniffs. 

“Can I show you a little of what we’re hoping this looks like by the end?” Hakyeon asks steering Jaehwan away from the other two and refocusing him on the rest of the room. “We’re going to mount the television on this wall and put this smaller unit under it. The top is going to hold the gaming system as well as the planter we made yesterday. Underneath we’re filling up with with these baskets we picked up to hold the video games and controllers, and some odds and ends on the other shelves.”

Hakyeon then steers the host towards the wall by the door, “We took down the few posters that were here and are going to put them in frames to make them look a little more polished. I want to use the same artwork because we don’t want to lose Sanghyuk in here, we want to celebrate him.”

“So you two are focusing more on interior design than crafting?” Jaehwan asks.

“In a sense I guess? I’ve made some pillowcases and we’re going to reupholster the couch so that it fits the space better. Sanghyuk and I also made candles earlier that won’t be cured by the time judging starts, but they’ll still add value to the space. We’re also taking the coffee table he had and refinishing it so that it fits in without being a distraction. So we feel like we’ve covered the crafting elements,” he smiles.

“What about this that they’re working on now?” Jaehwan asks throwing a look to Taekwoon and Sanghyuk.

“That’s going to be the new room divider. There was only a short curtain before and, to borrow Sanghyuk’s words, it made it ‘feel like a hospital room,’ so we of course did away with that.”

“Well, I don’t want to distract you any further, but here is a friendly reminder than you now have a little under two hours to finish this place up and get it ready for judging.”

“Thank you for visiting us!” Hakyeon smiles.

Sanghyuk and Taekwoon wave as he leaves and Taekwoon turns to Hakyeon, “Are we going to make it?”

Hakyeon surveys the unit, then gives a quick nod, “Yes,” he says determined. “With three of us working on the shelves, I think we can get it done so we can move on to the other projects.

Taekwoon has his doubts, but less than an hour later they have another finished piece and Hakyeon is visibly relieved.

“What’s next?” Taekwoon asks as they move the shelving into place.

“I’m going to put you on poster framing duty while I tackle the coffee table with Hyogi,” he says, pointing to the corner where the removed artwork sits. “I want to make them look more like art, so you’re going to kind of sandwich them between pieces of wood and use magnets to fasten them.”

“Sandwich them? How will we be able to see them?” Taekwoon asks confused. 

“Oh, no,” Hakyeon laughs, “Not sandwich the whole thing, just a strip at the top and bottom so when they hang on the wall so just the top and bottom are framed, kind of like a scroll?”

Taekwoon nods, finally understanding what Hakyeon is asking for. “Should I paint it dark?” he asks, hoping to get all of his questions answered before he treks down to the crafting cart.

“That’s a great idea,” Hakyeon agrees. “I’ve measured the posters before, the numbers are in my plan book over there,” he says gesturing at his bag. “The mobile craft closet has everything you’ll need.”

Taekwoon retrieves the plan book and brings it with him down the four flights of stairs to the rented truck serving as their workspace. Hongbin is inside, lounging in a chair and playing on his phone when Taekwoon enters. Taekwoon gives him a small wave, but continues on to find what he needs instead of stopping to chat. There are only ten pieces of wood, so they can only hang four of the seven pieces that Hakyeon wanted to frame. Taekwoon sighs, grabbing what he can and laying the pieces on the workbench so he can get a saw. He works methodically, measuring, marking, and cutting down each piece before moving on to the next, sanding down edges so it looks more finished before he throws on a coat of black paint so that it can fit in with the rest of the room. He blasts them with the heat gun, trying to get them to dry in time for him to finish. 

“How are you doing?”

Hakyeon’s voice has him turning, and he eyes him warily when he sees the minion headband his partner is sporting. “I’m fine. Please don’t put anything on my head,” he pleads as Hakyeon steps closer to him, hands suspiciously hidden behind his back.

“You know I have to,” Hakyeon grins back as he snaps a Hello Kitty headband into place on Taekwoon’s head. “Hyogi is wearing a Winnie the Pooh one right now. You’re in great company,” he soothes adjusting Taekwoon’s hair so it sits properly.

“Why did you bring headbands?” Taekwoon whines. He bristles slightly at Hakyeon so easily using the younger’s nickname, but shoves it aside for a time when they’re not on camera. He checks the wood carefully and is pleased to find the paint is finally dry so he can start attaching the magnets.

“I didn’t even have to!” Hakyeon says, automatically starting to help Taekwoon as he explains. “These were in his closet, a gag gift from a friend,” he says with a pointed look at the intern who is laughing silently in the corner. 

“One more week,” Taekwoon mutters. He’s got two of the cut pieces of wood laid out flat and is marking equal increments on each side so he can attach magnets.

“Aww, Taekwoonie thinks we’ll be back next week. I love this confidence,” Hakyeon smiles. 

“They didn’t have enough wood for all of the posters, so we can only do four. I wasn’t sure which poster was which by measurements, so hopefully the ones that match these will work in the space,” he says quickly, gauging Hakyeon for a response.

“We can make four work,” Hakyeon replies airily. “Are you sure that’s enough?” Hakyeon asks when sees Taekwoon only made one mark on each end. “Posters are heavier than you expect.”

“They had those super strong magnets—neodymium ones—in the supplies so I grabbed those?” Taekwoon replies. He demonstrates, snapping two of the magnets together and struggles to get them apart after.

“Those should work,” Hakyeon nods. “We only have about twenty minutes left, so after you get the magnets placed on four of them, I’m going to run them upstairs and nail them on the wall so we can just place the posters when you bring the rest up. Hyogi is adding his things to the shelving units and arranging it how he likes.”

He disappears with the words and Taekwoon goes back to hot gluing the magnets in place, only burning himself a few times in the process. When he’s finally done, he gathers the pieces and makes his way back up the four flights of stairs and into the apartment. The couch looks classy re-covered and the pillows add a good pop of color against the solid dark material. He joins Hakyeon who has four posters in hand and together they hang the prints. 

“Five minutes left” Hongbin shouts from behind them.

“We can’t get a few more?” Hakyeon grins at him.

“You already got ten extra from yesterday, I’ll take three away if you ask me again,” Hongbin returns, grinning at the affronted look the elder throws him in return.

Hakyeon does one last sweep of the place, making sure that everything is in place and looks neat. He goes over to the divider unit and looks at Sanghyuk, “Do you mind?” he asks, gesturing to one of the cubes. At the “go ahead” wave of Sanghyuk’s hand, Hakyeon starts rearranging the small collection of Minion figurines so half are turned towards the bedroom area and the other half face the living area. 

After Hongbin calls time, they all stand around, staring at one another a little confused as to what happens next.

“So, are they coming now?” Sanghyuk asks his friend.

“Uh, I think you guys are actually last?” Hongbin says looking down at his phone. “Wonshik said the ETA is about an hour from now.”

“Can we get food then?” Taekwoon asks hopefully. 

“That’s not a bad idea,” Hakyeon replies looking over to Hongbin.

“We can’t leave the apartment,” Hongbin shakes his head. “We can order something though,” he adds at the dejected looks he receives. 

“Let’s just get chicken, it’s easy and can feed a crowd,” Hakyeon replies glancing around. He starts counting people and steps away to make the call while Taekwoon and the others stay in the living room.

“How much trouble will I get in if I sit on the couch?” Sanghyuk asks, eyeing the furniture hopefully. 

“However much it will be worth it,” Taekwoon shrugs as he practically throws himself down on it. It’s the first time he’s sat down properly since the bus ride that morning and he is enjoying being off his feet. 

Sanghyuk settles down on the opposite end and when Hakyeon returns, he gives them a hard look before sighing and sitting down in the space left between them. 

“Hongbin, your job is to keep us informed of the judges’ impending arrival time so we can fluff these pillows back up,” he says sagging slightly against Taekwoon. “Food should be here in about half an hour.”

“I’m not sure fluffing the pillows back up is allow—” he cuts off at the scathing look Hakyeon whips around to send him in the kitchen where he and the rest of the staff are hanging out and nods instead.

Taekwoon snickers at the reaction and takes hold of Hakyeon’s hand, threading their fingers together while they relax for a few minutes.

“Oh, is this officially a thing now?” Sanghyuk asks with a pointed look at their joined hands.

Taekwoon shifts, whether to move away or closer to Hakyeon he isn’t sure, but he doesn’t get the chance to find out.

Hakyeon’s grip tightens and he smiles serenely at Sanghyuk, “Yes,” he says simply.

“Cool,” Sanghyuk says with a smile of his own, “about time really.”

“Wonshik is going to be thrilled,” Hongbin says coming to sit on the floor in front of them.

Now it is Hakyeon who is uncomfortable, “Please just let us be happy and don’t make fun of us,” he begs.

“Why does everyone care so much?” Taekwoon adds. 

“You’ve both been oblivious for a month and a half, we were sick of the pining,” Sanghyuk replies.

“And as gross as this is,” Hongbin says, “it’s better than the secret glances and mooning eyes. Do you know how much we had to edit out?”

“That was _after_ editing?” Sanghyuk demands. “Then it was worse than I thought. This is definitely past due.”

Taekwoon takes one of the newly crafted pillows and hurls it at the youngest’s face. 

Hakyeon squeaks in protest as Sanghyuk grabs another to retaliate. “Stop!” he shouts throwing a hand out to block the retaliatory throw. “You will not mess up the room we just spent _four hours_ putting together.”

Sanghyuk lowers his weapon and both he and Taekwoon look guilty as they mumble apologies.

The rest of the wait for, and subsequent eating of, chicken passes without incident and with five minutes warning they have the trash thrown away and the pillows fluffed before the judges, Jaehwan, and Wonshik make their entrance, quickly followed by the other two teams.

“This was easier,” Wonshik explains gesturing at the other crafters while the camera crew gets back into position. “We didn’t want to force everyone back to the studio, and you were last on the list, so we decided to do the elimination here.”

“This is definitely the most amount of people I’ve had in here,” Sanghyuk observes.

“Sorry about that,” Wonshik laughs. “We’ll try and be out soon.” He turns to the crew, “Are we ready?”

At their nods of affirmation, Jaehwan starts speaking. “And here we are with our final team. They were working on one of Taekwoon’s colleagues apartments and were focusing on the living and bedroom areas. Let’s see what the judges think of their work.”

“First off, what really strikes me is the difference in color contrast,” Soljin says. “I like this much better than the light on light with the beige couch and white walls. Is the couch new?”

“No,” Hakyeon replies shaking his head. “We did a cover on it since we couldn’t find anything Sanghyuk was happy with during the week. I didn’t want to waste his money on something we can easily update since the couch is perfectly fine.”

“I also like the shelving,” Heechul says. “It’s a pity the only really transformed piece is the coffee table, but it really works with the space even if it is just a little “un-box and assemble.”

“The posters look good in these sort of minimalist frames. I see there’s a bit of a cartoon theme running through?” Kibum asks pointing from the walls to their headbands.

“I love Minions,” Sanghyuk grins.

“We didn’t want to lose Sanghyuk in the updating of the space,” Hakyeon explains again.

“I can definitely see personality in here,” Kibum smiles. “I understand the building manager wouldn’t allow you to paint, so it’s a shame the walls had to stay white, but working within the confines of that really worked.”

“Are there any other homemade elements in here?” Heechul asks glancing around.

“I learned to make candles today!” Sanghyuk pipes up pointing at the candles on the coffee table. “They’re not..dry yet though so we can’t burn them.”

“Are they scented?” Soljin asks leaning down to take hold of one.

“One is cotton, there’s also pear and lavender,” Sanghyuk replies.

The judges wander around the room a little more, asking a few questions about different objects and choices they made before stepping outside to deliberate. They call Sanghyuk out as well. 

During the downtime, Hakyeon and Taekwoon chat with the other contestants and learn what each team had done with their space.

Fifteen minutes later, Jaehwan is asking all of the contestants to step forward as the judges and Sanghyuk re-enter.

“Crafters, we were very impressed with each of the spaces presented to us today. While we enjoyed every room, we also need to take into account the feelings of the people you were working to please today,” Heechul starts. “We were most impressed by the room done by Gyujin and Junghoon again. You two will be in the finals.”

Taekwoon steels himself for the next decision.

“While we enjoyed both of the other rooms, one stood out just a little more in regards to attention to detail and really listening to the client’s needs. With that being said, I’m sorry, Jaehyun and Jia you have been eliminated again.”

“We’re in the finals?” Taekwoon asks Hakyeon, turning to him in bewilderment.

“We are!” Hakyeon cries, throwing his arms around his partner.

Another pair of arms is wrapping around them a few seconds later and Sanghyuk is celebrating with them. “Congrats, Hyungs!” he says enthusiastically

Eventually they peel themselves away from him and say goodbye to Jia and Jaehyun. Sanghyuk backs away as Jaehwan is calling for the two remaining teams attention again.

“And now I get to announce the last challenge our final two teams will face. Next week you will be decorating for a holiday of your choice. You may interpret that in whatever way works best for you, just know that we are expecting great things since this will decide the winner of the season and the ₩1,000,000 prize. Now, for the last time, please enjoy your week and we look forward to what you have in store for us for the holidays!”

Hakyeon turns to Taekwoon, eyes bright with excitement, “I have so many ideas,” he says.

“I’m glad,” Taekwoon laughs leaning in to give Hakyeon another quick hug as everyone starts moving around, collecting their things and moving towards the doors. “I’m also glad we only have one more week of this.”

“You’re not having fun anymore?” Hakyeon asks deflating a little.

“I miss weekends,” Taekwoon clarifies. 

“Oh, weekends sound nice,” Hakyeon agrees. 

Taekwoon grows quiet again, watching as the crew packs up their equipment and leaves to make the long trek down to the vans.

Sanghyuk wanders over to them, Hongbin beside him to chat a few minutes more.

“Thank you again for this awesome room,” Sanghyuk says as Taekwoon and Hakyeon finally prepare to leave.

“It was our pleasure,” Hakyeon grins back, reaching out to ruffle his hair. 

Taekwoon smiles, enjoying Sanghyuk’s face as he twists away and tries to fix his hair. “This means you have to be nice to me this week,” he informs his coworker.

“I’ll plaster both of our faces with the headbands on around the office,” Sanghyuk grins reaching out and tapping the headband.

Taekwoon immediately takes it off, handing it to him before pulling Hakyeon towards the door, cheeks tinted pink since he forgot he was wearing it still.

“See you tomorrow!” Sanghyuk calls after him, laugh loud.

“It’s wrong how much he loves making me suffer,” Taekwoon whines as they head towards the bus.

“But you’re so cute when you do,” Hakyeon smiles back reaching out to pinch his cheek.

Taekwoon smacks him in return.

They part at the bus stop, Hakyeon heading home tonight. Taekwoon wants to invite him over again, knows that he will soon, but he’s going to be glad for a bit of silence for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we finally, _finally_ justify the rating. I'm sorry it took so long, but this was when it felt right. Also, I've been referring to any sexy scenes as "sleepovers" for the last couple of months and the difference in connotation just makes me laugh. It's been...a while since I've written anything rated, so be gentle with me (hehehe...gentle...)
> 
> Shoutout again to the k!bas discord for keeping me honest and on track with these edits. Only a couple more to go. We're going to make it.
> 
> I'm still thoroughlynerdy over on twitter if you want to say hello or slide into my DMs if you feel like it. I'm kind of awkward, but enjoy talking to any and everyone about VIXX.


	8. Episode Seven: Holiday

Hakyeon spends most of Monday catching up on the work that he neglected over the weekend. Despite loving his experience on the show, he has to admit that Taekwoon makes a fair point about having weekends back. He films a tutorial on building a quick plant stand using reclaimed wood and tiles before working on editing another video he had filmed the previous week. His day passes quickly, and finally after lunch he texts Taekwoon.

Can I invite myself over for dinner tonight and we have a strategy meeting for the week? I have a theme idea I want to run past you

_You can always come over, no ask needed. I’ll cook for you_

Hakyeon smiles down at his phone before pressing it against his chest in a semblance of a hug.

Seriously, you can’t even imagine how adorable you are

_I’ll be home around 7:00_

Hakyeon grins at his phone, enjoying Taekwoon’s dodge of his comment, before sending back a quick acknowledgment and getting back to work planning his next project for his next client’s house. This client wants Hakyeon to refinish his coffee table so it has a more distressed look to match the more rugged feel of the living space and he has just the idea for how to achieve it.

He shows up at Taekwoon’s door at exactly 7:00. Taekwoon greets him with a quick kiss before pulling him inside and wrapping his arms around him.

“Mm,” Hakyeon says against Taekwoon’s lips, “this is really nice, _really_ nice, but we need to plan first.”

Taekwoon pulls back, a pout on his lips, and Hakyeon can’t help but lean in to kiss it away. “We can continue after,” he promises.

Seemingly mollified, Taekwoon allows Hakyeon to fully enter the apartment and settle at his table. Mochi immediately comes over to sniff at Hakyeon’s leg before jumping up into his lap and butting her head against his chest. “I missed you too,” he coos running his hand down her back. She presses up into his hand, so he continues as he watches Taekwoon bustle around the kitchen. “What are you making?” he asks.

“Pasta,” Taekwoon replies vaguely.

“I like pasta,” Hakyeon laughs. “So, to completely change the subject,” he begins, still absently petting the cat, “how do you feel about Halloween?”

Taekwoon pauses, leaning back out of the cupboard he is digging in to throw Hakyeon a bemused look, “Pretty neutral, why?”

“Because I want to do Halloween as our holiday this week,” he replies hopefully. “We can do a mix of spooky and cute so it has more appeal and there are endless possibilities with both food and decorations.”

“I can see how excited you are about it,” he replies with a soft smile. “Of course I’ll say yes.”

Hakyeon beams at him in return, eyes crinkling with his smile, “I was really hoping you would be on board,” he says relieved.

“What was your backup plan?” Taekwoon asks, filling the pot he found with water. 

“Christmas or New Years,” he replies with a wrinkle of his nose. “Neither of those are nearly as fun to plan though.”

While Taekwoon cooks, Hakyeon starts jotting down ideas of what they can incorporate into decorating for their holiday. “What’s your week look like?” he asks as Taekwoon stirs sauce into the pasta. 

“Pretty open? Our acquisition is in a couple of weeks, but my part is basically done now. Next week I have a presentation to give, but I’ve already started it.”

“So you’re free to come shopping with me?” Hakyeon asks. “There’s a Halloween shop in Sadang that I’ve heard great things about and I really want to check it out.”

“Sure,” Taekwoon shrugs. “Any night but Friday as usual. Are you coming again this week?” he asks as he brings two plates over. 

“If it’s still not a burden,” Hakyeon says as he regretfully, picks Mochi up and places her on the floor before going to wash his hands. “I’ll pet you when I’m done eating,” he assures her. 

“My family loves you,” Taekwoon returns rolling his eyes, “just like here, you’re always welcome.”

When he returns to the table, Taekwoon is already shoveling food in his mouth and Hakyeon can’t help but laugh, completely endeared by the puffed out cheeks in front of him. Once he’s settled back down, he also digs in.

As they eat, they talk about the potential foods they can make, deciding to go for things that will be generally appetizing instead of going for a gross out factor. 

“I want to make cupcakes this time,” Taekwoon says. “I haven’t made cake since week one, and the last time I baked I dropped the cookies. I want to redeem myself,” he says.

“Cupcakes will be perfect. Any characters you want to try?” 

“I’ll think about it,” Taekwoon responds. 

They also decide on making pizza and setting out various candies in some type of cute containers in addition to the cupcakes. 

Once dinner is over, Hakyeon insists on helping with the dishes again, washing while Taekwoon dries and puts them away. He feels perfectly at ease and happy, and can see them doing this for a long time, which is a heavy thought for them only truly being together for little more than a week.

It’s late when Taekwoon finally convinces him to stay the night rather than heading home and the next morning Hakyeon feels a bit like he’s doing a walk of shame as he kisses Taekwoon in the doorway before they step out and go their separate ways, Hakyeon home to shower, and Taekwoon to work. They have a plan to meet later to find and explore the shop and gather even more inspiration as well as potential costumes. 

They meet again at Sadang Station at 5:00 and make their way to the small shop. When they enter, they’re greeted by a two meter tall animatronic Grim Reaper whose unexpected movement has Hakyeon yelping and hiding behind Taekwoon, clinging to his back.

Taekwoon’s laugh is loud as he leads them away from the offending object and Hakyeon follows blindly, his face still buried in the other’s back.

“You were the one who suggested Halloween, how are you this scared not even three steps inside?” Taekwoon grins.

“I love Halloween, I just startle easily,” Hakyeon sniffs, peeling himself off of Taekwoon’s back. He glances back at the Reaper cautiously and pulls Taekwoon further inside and away. The place is on the smaller side, but absolutely packed with all things Halloween. “Should we start with costumes, or decoration inspiration?” he asks.

“This is the one time I will concede that costumes make sense,” Taekwoon replies eyeing the wall of clothing in front of them. “It says they rent, which might be more cost effective depending on how detailed you want to get.”

“But with crafting there’s always the risk of ruining clothing and I’m not spending that much money to repay them,” Hakyeon returns. He pulls Taekwoon to the left a bit, “Do you have any oversized white button down shirts?” he asks gesturing to an outfit. It’s a vampire costume, generic looking enough that it can be replicated fairly easily. “I’m pretty sure they sell those fangs here that you can mold and use denture glue to stick in,” he muses.

“You’re not going to make me do lenses are you?” Taekwoon asks warily.

“No, no,” Hakyeon grins. “Just the teeth.” Taekwoon is staring at him skeptically, so Hakyeon continues, “We can also do mythology costumes. You’d make an adorable Poseidon.”

Taekwoon shakes his head, nose crinkling, “Holding a trident all day would get tiring. Being vampires works,” he shrugs.

Hakyeon laughs, “If the trident is your only objection I’ll let you know now that you’re allowed to put it down.”

“No, I like vampires better,” Taekwoon says resolutely. 

“Alright. There are more options, but I really love the idea of you sucking on things,” Hakyeon leers.

Taekwoon chokes, looking around wildly for anyone who could have overheard them. “Don’t say things like that in public,” he whines.

“It’s so much fun making you blush,” Hakyeon whispers, leaning in and stealing a kiss. He pulls back, taking Taekwoon’s wrist and pulling him along. “If you can’t find an oversized shirt, let me know and I’ll stop by the thrift store and find one. I’ll bring my sewing machine over and add the ruffles so we can look like proper vampires. Do you own a vest? Preferably one that is not black?” he adds turning to see Taekwoon giving him another wary look.

“I think I have a black and red striped one?”

“Why do you have a patterned vest? That’s kind of strange, isn’t it?” Hakyeon asks.

“From a performance before, they wanted us to have a uniform,” Taekwoon replies defensively.

“I’m not making fun of you, I was just curious,” Hakyeon soothes running a hand over his back. “You owning it works in our favor.”

With the plans for costumes sorted, they move on to decorations. 

“How scary are we trying to get?” Taekwoon asks holding up a fake knife painted to look like blood is dripping off the handle.

“Not that scary,” Hakyeon replies reaching out and gently lowering the knife much to Taekwoon’s amusement. “I’m thinking cheesecloth ghosts and felt bats and maybe some puffy cats,” he replies glancing back at the streamers on his side of the aisle.

“What’s a puffy cat?” Taekwoon asks curiously.

“You know—Jesus!” Hakyeon cries clutching at his chest when he turns to explain.

Taekwoon is holding the severed head of a clown and laughing at Hakyeon’s expression. “I do, in fact, know Jesus. What about the puffy cats though?”

“Put that down,” Hakyeon grumps. “I just mean adding cat faces and legs and tails onto paper lanterns. So the cats are extra round,” he adds at Taekwoon’s look.

“So we’re decorating for a 7 year old?” Taekwoon asks.

Hakyeon pouts, “We can include some creepy elements, but no jump scares,” he says.

“I can get the clown then?” Taekwoon asks holding the head up again.

“Can I put you in charge of making the clown instead?” Hakyeon counters. “I want to try and make everything on site this weekend, nothing store bought.”

“I can make this,” Taekwoon shrugs setting it down.

“Love the confidence,” Hakyeon grins. 

When they leave, they have to pass by the reaper once again. Hakyeon is dreading it, but Taekwoon wraps an arm around him and puts himself between it and Hakyeon, saving him from another encounter. He goes home with Taekwoon again that evening and leaves when the other does Wednesday morning to go home and shower while Taekwoon goes to work. 

You’re making me lose my morning routine

Hakyeon texts as he is sanding down a coffee table later that day.

_My form of exercise is more fun_

Hakyeon blushes in his client’s living room, setting his phone down and fanning his face. He picks it up again after another buzz signals a new message.

_Bring some clothes next time_

Okay

That night he brings his laptop and an overnight bag when he goes to Taekwoon’s. He settles himself on the couch, content to edit his latest video while Mochi snoozes next to him and Taekwoon works on one of his songs, headphones plugged into the keyboard. “Are you ever going to let me hear a song?” he asks curiously when Taekwoon finally takes a break.

Taekwoon stares at him, eyes unreadable, before silently turning back around and unplugging the headphones. 

Hakyeon tenses, afraid to say anything more and waits as Taekwoon’s fingers hover over the keys before beginning to play. And then he starts to sing. Whatever Hakyeon had expected, it was not the beautiful voice that comes from the other. He sits, transfixed, as Taekwoon sings through a verse and a chorus, then starts humming, apparently not having finished the rest of the lyrics until he gets to the chorus again. When he stops, Hakyeon remains enchanted.

Taekwoon turns back around, bottom lip between his teeth as he looks up at Hakyeon through his lashes expectantly. His fingers are laced together on his lap.

“That was beautiful,” Hakyeon finally breathes. He sets his laptop on the coffee table and rushes over to wrap Taekwoon in a hug. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

“It’s for you,” Taekwoon mumbles.

Hakyeon stills again, arms still around the other’s neck, but he pulls back, looks down at him, “For _me_?”

Taekwoon nods, ducking his head under Hakyeon’s gaze. 

Hakyeon tips Taekwoon’s chin back up so he can see him again and kisses him soundly. He very nearly crawls into his lap as he wraps his arms around his boyfriend and sighs happily. “I love it,” he breathes against Taekwoon’s lips.

When they stumble into the bedroom a few minutes later, Hakyeon kicks the door shut behind them as he pushes Taekwoon impatiently towards the bed. “Take your pants off, underwear too,” he instructs, working on getting Taekwoon’s shirt off as well. 

Once Taekwoon is sufficiently naked, Hakyeon kneels before him smiling at the confused look on Taekwoon’s face. 

“But you’re still—”

“I’ll be fine,” Hakyeon dismisses airily. He throws Taekwoon a smug look before taking hold of his cock and licking from root to tip. 

Taekwoon’s gasp is encouraging as Hakyeon wraps his lips around him and sucks gently. Taekwoon’s fingers thread into Hakyeon’s hair and Hakyeon sinks down a few more centimeters with the pressure. Taekwoon is heavy on his tongue, getting harder by the second, and Hakyeon is bobbing his head rhythmically, wrapping his hand around what isn’t in his mouth. He pulls up, sucking on just the tip and Taekwoon is whining above him. He hums, bobbing back down and hollowing his cheeks, drawing even more noises from the other when suddenly Taekwoon’s hands in his hair tighten, pulling him back up and off. 

Hakyeon smiles, standing up and leaning over Taekwoon, kissing him as he concentrates on pumping the other, swallowing the noises Taekwoon is making until he comes with a shout into Hakyeon’s hand. Hakyeon pumps him through it, then pulls back, regarding his hand lightly before leaning down to lick at his fingers. He then smiles sweetly at Taekwoon before pressing his hand down on the other’s stomach, making a mess of him. 

“Payback,” he whispers at Taekwoon’s squeak of injustice, “For you wiping come on my face before.”

Taekwoon makes a distressed noise in the back of his throat and starts tugging at Hakyeon’s shirt, then pants, pushing them down and out of the way. Hakyeon lets himself be manhandled, lets Taekwoon have what he wants.

They conserve water again by showering together once they’re both sated before falling back into bed, Taekwoon wrapping himself around Hakyeon. The next morning Hakyeon leaves for his client’s house when Taekwoon leaves for work and it feels so utterly and blissfully domestic that Hakyeon can’t keep the smile off of his face.

Thursday night Hakyeon does bring his sewing machine like he proposed and works on fixing the shirts while Taekwoon experiments with more chocolate cake batter. “Step one on Sunday is remembering to pre-heat the oven,” Hakyeon teases while he marks the fabric.

“I hate you,” Taekwoon calls from the kitchen.

“No you don’t,” Hakyeon laughs in return.

Mochi is steering clear of the noise the sewing machine has brought in, choosing to hang out in the kitchen with Taekwoon while he bakes, much to Hakyeon’s disappointment. Luckily the ruffle detailing on the sleeves doesn’t take too much time, so he steals a few minutes with both cat and boyfriend before returning to his own task. Adding ruffles to the front is slightly more complicated because he doesn’t want to impede the buttons, so he decides to make ruffled bibs that they can slip over their heads like neckties to give the illusion of them being attached, but still have easy access to putting the shirts on and taking them off. 

By the time Hakyeon is finished, Taekwoon has the cupcakes on the counter cooling and is working on coloring frosting green. He also has packages of chocolate candies and black licorice in addition to a bowl of chocolate sprinkles off to the side.

“What are we making?” Hakyeon asks snagging the package of candies and shaking a few into his hand. 

“Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein,” Taekwoon replies snatching the candies back. “You’re eating their eyes,” he scolds at Hakyeon’s sad look.

Hakyeon watches as Taekwoon spoons the newly green frosting into a plastic baggie and snips off the end to make a piping bag before swirling a small amount on half the cupcakes and a larger amount on the remaining ones. 

“Dip the big ones in sprinkles about 3/4ths of the way down for me?” he asks as he grabs and offset spatula and begins flattening the others, smoothing out the frosting on all sides so it forms a large cylinder.

Hakyeon does as he’s asked, smiling as he realizes what he’s making. “This is her hair,” he laughs, delighted at the look of it.

Taekwoon dips the top of his in the sprinkles once he’s done flattening them and while Hakyeon is applying the eyes on all of them, Taekwoon cuts the licorice into pieces to use as the bolts on the sides of their necks.

“What about their smiles?” Hakyeon asks once the eyes and bolts are done. 

“Uh?” Taekwoon replies, eyes wide.

Hakyeon grins at the lost look on Taekwoon’s face, “Just set a little frosting aside and tint it dark on Sunday…and maybe a little more tinted red to add stitches too,” he shrugs as they both step back.

Taekwoon nods, then grabs a Frankenstein, pulls the wrapper down, and takes a huge bite.

“How’s he taste?” Hakyeon laughs, snagging a Bride for himself. He licks at the frosting on top, maintaining eye contact with Taekwoon who chokes slightly when Hakyeon swirls his tongue around it.

“He’s good,” Taekwoon coughs.

Hakyeon grins at him as they pack the rest of the confections up for transport to the Jung household the following day.

Frdiay, after a brief stop by the market, they arrive for dinner at Taekwoon’s parents’ house together again, Hakyeon slipping inside, waving at Taekeoon’s dad where he lounges in the living room watching television, and greeting his mom with a hug when they enter the kitchen. 

“How are you?” she asks him once they’ve broken apart.

“I am great now,” Hakyeon smiles back at her and takes over unloading the groceries so Taekwoon can give his own mother a hug. 

“Such a charmer,” she smiles at him, then laughs at her son’s disgusted face.

“Where’s Minyullie?” Taekwoon asks. “We were hoping he would want to help us make the pizza.”

“They should be here in just a few minutes. They were at Eunkyung’s house and got caught up,” she tells them. “Do you need my help?”

“No, you go relax with Dad, Hakyeonnie and I will cook tonight,” Taekwoon insists, turning his mom in the direction of the living room.

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you and _Hakyeonnie_,” she replies, a glint in her eye. “I’ll make sure to send Minyul in to help when he gets here,” she adds before walking off.

“Have you told your parents about us?” Hakyeon asks lowly once she’s left the room.

“I’ve…alluded to it,” Taekwoon replies. “Mom is almost as bad as Taemi with her teasing though. She just knows when to stop,” Taekwoon huffs.

“What about your dad?” Hakyeon asks, gently.

“No teasing,” Taekwoon assures, “He just wants me happy, which I am. Very.”

Hakyeon suddenly feels lighter. “This is good to know,” he smiles. “Where do you keep the oil?” he asks as he quickly washes the pizza pan they bought along with the other things. 

Taekwoon retrieves the oil from the cabinet and sets it on the counter for Hakyeon to use once the pan is dry.

They’re using a store bought crust to make the pizza because Taekwoon is worried about having the dough rise properly on the day of shooting and he doesn’t want pizza crust to be the reason they lose. Taekwoon has the crust on the pizza pan and is adding sauce when Minyul runs into the kitchen and attaches himself to Taekwoon’s leg.

“You started without me!” he says sadly.

“Sorry,” Taekwoon replies uncurling Minyul’s arms so he can move. “But you get to do the most important part,” he adds going to grab one of the kitchen chairs and bringing it over in front of the sink.

“What’s that?” Minyul asks as Taekwoon helps him up onto the chair and stands behind him. 

“You get to add the cheese,” Hakyeon says while Taekwoon helps Minyul wash his hands. 

Once he’s done and Taekwoon has helped him relocate to beside Hakyeon, Hakyeon passes Minyul the bag of shredded mozzarella.

“Pizza isn’t pizza without cheese,” Taekwoon says sagely as Minyul sticks his hand in the bag and pulls out a large fistfull. 

Hakyeon laughs as Taekwoon tries to help him spread it evenly, and when that fails secretly smooth out the lager mountains while the child is preoccupied getting more cheese. After the sauce is sufficiently covered, they let Minyul add the pepperoni slices, Hakyeon taking over standing guard behind Minyul while Taekwoon starts working on the spooky element.

“What’s that?” Minyul asks, eyes going wide as Taekwoon lays down half of an olive and then eight slices, four on each side, to form what looks like a spider.

“Decorations,” Taekwoon says vaguely. “Don’t you want to eat spiders?”

“No!” Minyul giggles as Hakyeon tickles him. 

“Creepy crawly spiders,” Hakyeon says picking Minyul up and bringing him back over to the sink so they can both wash the grease off their hands. He sets Minyul down and tells him to go play while the pizza cooks.

After Minyul runs off, Hakyeon throws together a quick salad to accompany the pizza, and throws in slices of thick cut bread to eat alongside them, Taekwoon retrieving the cupcakes from the carrier and setting them over on the counter for dessert.

After the food is ready, Hakyeon and Taekwoon laugh as the rest of the Jung family stares at the pizzas with distrust much like Munyul had done earlier.

“They’re obviously not real spiders,” Taekwoon laughs as he helps himself to a slice. “They’re olives.”

“Is your holiday April Fools?” Taemi asks, and Hakyeon grins as she picks off the olive, eating it first so there is no longer a fake arachnid on her food.

“That’s still secret, but may be more obvious once we serve dessert,” Hakyeon replies.

“I’m going to miss this show,” she sighs wistfully. “Woonie has been making so much food lately, I’m getting spoiled.”

“We can still cook sometimes,” Hakyeon offers with a smile.

“Oh, are you two finally official now?” she asks, turning to her brother excitedly. 

Taekwoon is flushing red, but to his credit gives a solid nod, and shoves half of his slice of pizza in his mouth so he doesn’t have to answer.

“Please don’t choke and die,” Hakyeon sighs fondly. 

The rest of dinner passes without incident, Mrs. Jung thankfully steering conversation away from Taekwoon and Hakyeon. As predicted, Taemi figures out their chosen holiday as soon as she sees the cupcakes and both Hakyeon and Taekwoon are pleased when they get approval from everyone. Minyul particularly enjoys the Bride ones since they have the most frosting. 

After dinner, Hakyeon and Taekwoon hang out in the living room, the audience to another Minyul concert, while Taekwoon’s parents take care of the dishes once again. Hakyeon is pleased at how homey it feels and how easily he seems to fit in here. 

He confesses as much to Taekwoon as they make their way to the bus after saying their goodbyes. He’s going home tonight, for the first time in nearly a week, and he’s a little sad he won’t wake up to Taekwoon’s arm draped over him. “Text me when you get home?” he asks as his bus approaches.

“Of course,” Taekwoon responds, giving his arm a quick squeeze.

Taekwoon does text him, but it’s attached to a picture of him in bed, Mochi curled into his neck fast asleep.

_Good night_

Hakyeon responds with a heart emoji.

\------

The next morning, Taekwoon brings his costume in a garment bag, opting to not have everyone on the bus staring at him strangely for looking like a vampire on public transportation. When get gets to the studio, he finds Hakyeon in the makeup chair alongside Gyujin. He’s relieved Hakyeon is still in his everyday wear as well.

“Good morning,” Hakyeon chirps, beaming at him through the mirror.

Taekwoon waves in return, stashing his bag and hanging his garment bag on a hook along the far wall. He sits down on the couch, content to wait his turn as the others continue chatting while being made up. This is the true beginning of the end and it could not be coming at a better time for him. He spends the next few minutes cooing at photos his sister had sent him of Hana, favoriting the ones he wants to make sure and show Hakyeon later. 

Gyujin finishes before Hakyeon, so Taekwoon takes his seat and settles in to get his makeup done. Hakyeon is going for a bolder look, adding both eyeliner and eyeshadow to enhance the vampiric look he is aiming for, and requests that Taekwoon do the same. With a huff, Taekwoon nods his agreement and lets the stylist work her magic.

Changing into the suit is simple enough. He slips into the bathroom area, not quite as at home with stripping in public as Hakyeon is, and makes quick work of the pants and shirt, waiting until he is out in the main area to put on the ruffled chest piece.

“These shirts look amazing, if I do say so myself,” Hakyeon comments as he comes over to smooth the piece out and tuck part of the bottom layer into the vest to keep it from flopping around.

Taekwoon snorts, but nods as he turns to survey his reflection in the mirror. He’s wearing Black pants, the white shirt, and red and black vest. Hakyeon is dressed in similar pants, but his vest is black and he has a red jacket embellished with gold elements on as well. The last thing they do is slip on the fangs he and Hakyeon had molded earlier in the week.

“Shall we?” Hakyeon asks, sweeping his arm towards the door to the studio.

Taekwoon nods, following as Hakyeon leads.

As usual, the studio is buzzing with activity when they enter, everyone running around to make sure the correct lighting is in place and the stations are ready for the contestants. Taekwoon glaces over to the competition and smiles when he sees that they are wearing tacky Christmas sweaters. “Looks like going with Halloween was a good choice,” he murmurs to his partner as they take their seats. 

“While a ‘Battle of the Christmases’ would be interesting, I’m glad it’s not a direct comparison,” Hakyeon muses. 

“Contestants, please gather up front,” Hongbin calls over the noise and both Taekwoon and Hakyeon rise, going to the front and taking their marks while Wonshik and Jaehwan enter, heads ducked close as they talk.

“Well, everyone is certainly in a festive mood,” Jaehwan laughs when he finally takes in the appearances of all contestants. “Looks like we’re in for a holly jolly spooky weekend,” he grins catching sight of the fangy grin that Hakyeon is throwing him. “Are you ready for your last Quick Craft and Upcycle challenges?” he asks, smiling at their eager nods. “Let’s get started then,” he says excitedly.

The cameras move into place, and Taekwoon stands up straighter, steeling his shoulders and his gaze as they start rolling for one of the last times. 

“Hello crafters and welcome back to the final week! This week you were tasked with decorating for the ultimate holiday. We are expecting you to pull out all the stops. From the way you are all dressed, it looks like it will be a very creative weekend, so we will jump right into things.” 

Jaehwan’s smile is a little more devious than usual and Taekwoon braces himself for what is to come.

“ I need to tell you one thing before we get started, this week there will be two opportunities to earn ten extra minutes in tomorrow’s Final Craft, so one team could walk away with a twenty minute advantage. Since we have been doing this for six whole weeks now, we’re going to challenge you in a slightly new way. Amateurs, will you please step forward?”

Taekwoon and Junghoon exchange a curious glance at one another before they do as they are asked.

“We’re very impressed that you two have picked up on this so quickly, so the Quick Craft today will be done entirely on your own,” Jaehwan explains.

Taekwoon keeps his face neutral, but inside he is reeling. Hakyeon is definitely the one who comes up with the majority of their ideas and he is not sure he can do this by himself.

“Don’t worry,” Jaehwan continues, “your partners will have their own challenges soon. You two are going to be tasked with creating a centerpiece that will look at home on a table for your holiday.”

“Can I ask a question before we start?” Taekwoon asks raising his hand.

“Of course,” Jaehwan replies easily.

“What’s a centerpiece?”

Jaehwan’s laugh is loud, but kind. “That would be good to know before starting. A centerpiece is one of those decorations in the middle of the table you see in magazines and very fancy dinner parties for people who have their lives together.”

Taekwoon snickers at the response, nodding his understanding, “I think I know what you’re talking about now.”

“Excellent,” Jaehwan chirps, “any more questions?”

When neither responds, he calls time and Taekwoon stands frozen for a few seconds before he takes off towards the crafting closet. He needs to channel his inner Hakyeon, so once he’s in there he looks for something to use as a vessel of some sort. The centerpieces he has seen before are full of candles or flowers, or both, and he wants to emulate that as much as possible. He grabs what looks like a vase and a few bags of decorative rocks in black, white, and orange, then stops for fake branches as well. 

As he returns to the table, he sees that Hakyeon and Gyujin are standing together watching their partners intently and talking quietly to each other. Taekwoon sets his things down, takes stock of what he has, then opens the bags of rocks. He decides layering will look better than mixing them all around, so he adds a layer of black, then orange, then white. They only go about halfway up the vase, so he runs back, grabbing another bag of each and repeats the pattern. Once the rocks are in, he takes the branches and tries to insert them artfully. After that is done, he stands back, taking a look and shrugs. It looks okay, but probably needs something more. So he returns to the crafting closet in search of a platter or something to set it on and maybe a few candles. He finds both and returns. The mirrored finish on the plate he grabbed reflects the stones nicely when he sets it in the center. Lastly he surrounds it with small tea light candles.

As time runs out, Hakyeon returns to his side, giving him a smile of approval. “Jaehwan made us promise to keep our hands to ourselves,” Hakyeon says with a laugh.

“Does it look okay though? Can you tell me that?” Taekwoon asks, bottom lip between his teeth again.

“It does,” Hakyeon assures, giving Taekwoon a quick squeeze.

Taekwoon relaxes into the touch and waits as the judges approach.

“So, Taekwoon, you were on your own for the first time, how was that?” Heechul asks when they get there.

“Not that bad?” Taekwoon asks, “I kept thinking, ‘what would Hakyeonnie do?’ and that kind of guided me,” he shrugs.

Soljin grins, “That’s a great question to ask yourself. I see you two are very dressed up today, and those look like fangs you are wearing so is it safe to assume that this is a Halloween inspired centerpiece?” she asks.

Taekwoon nods, “Black and orange are typical Halloween colors, so I chose those. The white gave it some contrast?”

“It works well,” Kibum smiles, “I like the addition of the candles and the foliage, it reminds me of fall and is very on theme. Overall this is a great piece for an amateur.”

Taekwoon doesn’t miss the jab at his lack of skill, but smiles anyway, grateful that they didn’t completely hate his idea.

“I’m so proud of you,” Hakyeon beams as he pulls Taekwoon into a full hug. Taekwoon tries to pull away, aware of the cameras on them, but Hakyeon tightens his grip, “My little Taekwoonie has come so far,” he coos.

“Oh my god, you’re so annoying,” Taekwoon laughs as he finally manages to disentangle himself from the other. 

When the judges call them back up to the front several minutes later, Taekwoon’s heart is pounding. He did his best with the challenge and he can only hope the judges will see that.

“Taekwoon, Junghoon, we were very impressed by what you both put forth today,” Kibum tells them.

“This was a difficult decision, but we’ve decided that the ten minutes awarded for the Quick Craft will be to Taekwoon and Hakyeon,” Soljin says.

Taekwoon’s jaw drops, then he is smiling at Hakyeon who is thumping him on the back before giving him another hug.

“Remember, there are ten more minutes up for grabs with the Upcycle Challenge,” Heechul reminds them as the judges once again make their way backstage so the staff can set up the next challenge.

Taekwoon sinks into his chair at their station and looks over to Hakyeon who is starting to fidget slightly. “Are you nervous?” he asks curiously.

“A little,” Hakyeon admits, “Jaehwan practically told us that we would be in charge of the upcycle and it’s a lot of pressure,” he confesses.

“You’ll be fine,” Taekwoon shrugs. “you always are.”

Hakyeon’s responding look is so fond that Taekwoon almost curls into himself to escape it. He’s saved when Jaehwan returns leading two interns, each pushing a covered table. “Can we get everyone back up here?” he calls out.

Taekwoon and Hakyeon trudge forward, this time Taekwoon runs a hand down Hakyeon’s back to offer what comfort he can. 

Once the cameras are rolling again, Jaehwan is grinning devilishly. “You’ve probably figured out by now that we plan on having our professionals tackle the upcycle on their own, so if Hakyeon and Gyujin will step forward, we will get started.”

Taekwoon meets Hakyeon’s eye and gives him a small smile as the older steps forward.

“We noticed that while both of your teams are happy to provide food elements with your projects, you partners tend to take the lead on them,” he begins. 

Taekwoon sees Hakyeon’s shoulders slump.

“So we decided to challenge you in a slightly different way. Today you will be upcycling leftovers.” At his words, the covers are lifted off the tables and a myriad of ingredients are laying on them. “We’re going to borrow a phrase from another great show and tell you to ‘use a little or a lot’ but you will still only have forty five minutes to complete this challenge. And much like your partners, you will be expected to complete it on your own.”

Taekwoon snorts at the crestfallen look that graces Hakyeon’s face for a fraction of a second before he schools his features. When time starts, Hakyeon takes the whole table, opting to wheel it back to their station instead of bringing the ingredients one by one. 

Hakyeon works at a near frantic pace, retrieving a shallow pan from a cabinet and setting it on the burner, cranking the heat up and adding oil to it. Taekwoon realizes Hakyeon is attempting a fried rice when he quickly dumps the container of leftover rice inside and starts moving it around, completely devoid of seasoning. He watches, bemused, as Hakyeon bumbles his way through the recipe, adding a little bit of everything, and only realizing at the end that he needs to season it. The worst is when his sleeve gets a little too close to the flame and Taekwoon breaks the rules a little and shouts to Hakyeon to move it so it doesn’t catch fire. He doesn’t think he’ll get in trouble for preventing the other from burning either himself or the studio down though.

After time is called, Hakyeon has some semblance of a fried rice plated and Taekwoon is fully prepared to lose this round. He wanders over, smiling fully in return at the wry smile Hakyeon gives him.

“I’m not sure how well this one is going to go over,” Hakyeon admits.

“It’s fine either way,” Taekwoon shrugs. 

They soon find out when Jaehwan leads the judges over and they smile at him expectantly.

“So, this is the fried rice I prepared,” Hakyeon says as each of the judges and Jaehwan grab a fork and take a bite. “It fits with the theme of Halloween because I’m a little afraid to eat it myself,” he beams. Taekwoon thumps him on the back of the head for the remark.

“It’s um, an interesting flavor,” Soljin replies diplomatically while setting her fork down.

“How much soy sauce did you use?” Kibum asks pulling a face.

“I didn’t really measure,” Hakyeon shrugs. “I just waited until it looked right.”

“It’s not,” Kibum returns setting his own fork down.

“I’ve never had anything that tasted like that before. I think you achieved something new,” Heechul says. 

Jaehwan is only just holding back his laughter while he thanks Hakyeon and moves the judges along.

Taekwoon gives Hakyeon a sympathetic smile, chancing a bite of his own and managing to down the bite before he shrugs. ”It’s not inedible,” he says. Hakyeon’s laugh is bright at his words and Taekwoon smiles, taking another bite.

The judges praise Gyujin’s casserole that he made and the minutes for the Final Craft even out in the end.

“This means that no team has a true advantage and will make things a lot more fun to watch,” Heechul says after the judges have announced their decision. 

Taekwoon and Hakyeon clean up their station, tossing the rest of the food and wiping down the counters before heading backstage to change into their regular clothing.

“Is it okay if we don’t go out tonight?” Taekwoon asks after they meet back up.

“Sure,” Hakyeon replies immediately. “I’ve been invading your space all week,” he laughs, turning towards his bag. “You probaly want some more time to yourself.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Taekwoon protests, reaching out for Hakyeon and taking hold of his arm. “I want to be with you, I just…don’t feel like pretenses. It’s easier at home where we don’t have to be so careful,” he finishes quietly.

Hakyeon’s eyes widen at his words, but he nods quickly, the smile returning to his face. “I love your apartment,” Hakyeon replies as Taekwoon slides his hand down until their fingers are entwined.

“Your place is nicer,” Taekwoon protests as they walk towards the door.

“Your place has Mochi, who is closer each day to following me home,” Hakyeon returns.

Taekwoon scowls as they drop hands and exit the building. “You really only like me for my cat, don’t you?” he grumps.

“My plot has been uncovered,” Hakyeon laughs. “I was after the cat, but then her owner won me over,” he grins.

“Gross,” Taekwoon replies, nose wrinkling. “That’s too cheesy.”

Hakyeon is still laughing as they board the bus and stand in the back, each one holding his own garment bag. 

“Since we already pretty much planned tomorrow, we need to relax tonight,” Taekwoon suggests, swaying into Hakyeon as the bus turns the corner.

“Excellent idea,” Hakyeon agrees. “I’ll make some fried rice for dinner while you choose a movie.”

Taekwoon smacks him again, delighting when it almost sends Hakyeon off balance as he times it with the next stop. “You’re not allowed to cook dinner anymore, only breakfast,” he declares.

“I’ll take that.”

They spend their last night of the competition curled up together on the couch stealing kisses and playing fetch with Mochi instead of paying attention to the movie Hakyeon had started and Taekwoon cannot think of a better alternative.

Sunday Taekwoon wakes up with a groan, swiping at his phone on the nightstand and silencing the alarm. Once the noise has stopped, he turns back, burying his head into the pillow above Hakyeon’s head and trying for a few more minutes of sleep.

Hakyeon has other plans.

“None of that,” Hakyeon breaths into the sensitive skin along his neck, pressing kisses into it. “It’s finals day.”

Taekwoon makes a pained noise when Hakyeon pulls away and rolls out of Taekwoon’s arms and out of bed. He takes as much time as he can, waiting for Hakyeon to finish in the bathroom before he slips inside himself. When he finally makes it to the kitchen, Hakyeon has a pot of coffee brewing and Mochi is munching happily on food. He wraps his arms around Hakyeon and laughs when the other startles slightly. It’s a good thing the mug for his tea is on the counter instead of in his hands.

“I’m going to put a bell on you,” Hakyeon gripes as he twists in Taekwoon’s grip to snake his arms around the taller man’s neck. “Then you won’t be able to sneak up on me.”

Taekwoon kisses him in apology and after pulling away reaches behind Hakyeon to get a mug for himself from the cabinet. It’s a little scary how easily they have fallen into routine, but as cliche as it is, Hakyeon feels like the missing puzzle piece that fits just right in Taekwoon’s life. 

There’s a thought he’ll never voice out loud.

As Hakyeon pours the customary bowls of cereal, Taekwoon pours himself a cup of coffee and makes his way to the table. “After today, I don’t know what I’m going to do with my weekends anymore,” he muses as Hakyeon places a bowl in front of him and joins him.

“You promised Minyul you would see him more,” Hakyeon says. “We can take him to the children’s museum sometime,” he offers.

The thought warms Taekwoon, “I think he would love that.”

Even though it’s the last day of filming, it doesn’t feel like an end to Taekwoon, not really, so as they slip on regular clothes for the commute to the studio, he is feeling at ease. Hakyeon borrows one of Taekwoon’s shirts, the neck gaping a little from his build compared to the others, and opting to wear the same jeans from yesterday over a pair of briefs from a pack Taekwoon has just opened. Before they leave, Taekwoon makes a travel mug of coffee while Hakyeon watches him fondly from the doorway. They head to filming for the last time, garment bags in tow.

Hakyeon and Taekwoon are the first to arrive today, both sitting down in one of the makeup chairs to get the process started since they take more time to transform into vampires.

“Hakyeonnie, can you do me a favor today?” Taekwoon asks as the stylist applies the usual foundation.

“What’s that?” Hakyeon asks, smiling at him through the mirror.

“Don’t light your sleeve on fire. Or get it caught in anything,” Taekwoon requests with a smirk.

Hakyeon bristles, but a warning tap from the stylist has him settling back, “That was a fluke and I didn’t catch on fire,” he sniffs. “I’m more careful than that usually. Besides, you’ll be the one doing most of the cooking today. Don’t get cake batter on _your_ sleeves.”

Taekwoon laughs and he gets the reprimand this time as the stylist tries to start his eyeliner but has to contend with his shaking.

They quiet down until their makeup is done, then move out of the chairs so Gyujin and Junghoon can take them.

Taekwoon once again ducks into the bathroom to change his clothes, resolutely ignoring Hakyeon’s whisper of “Nothing I haven’t seen before” as he passes him. Taekwoon realizes as he does up the buttons on his shirt that Hakyeon made a fair point about the sleeves getting messy with the cake batter, frosting, and pizza sauce he will be working with throughout the day and he sighs, hoping he can somehow roll the sleeves up to keep them out of the way. He asks Hakyeon as much when he emerges from the bathroom. “How do the ruffles work with me rolling my sleeves up?”

Hakyeon frowns thoughtfully before grabbing Taekwoon’s left wrist and popping the button open, the ruffle opening with the cuff. He rolls it experimentally about 3/4th of the way up to just under Taekwoon’s elbow, tucking the ruffle in as much as possible before letting go. The material stays put and he smiles up at Taekwoon, “like that” he laughs.”

Taekwoon offers his other arm so Hakyeon so he can roll it too, and they won’t waste any of their precious filming time getting their sleeves in order. 

After the sleeves are settled, they walk into the studio and the usual chaos is running. Hongbin appears, smiling when he sees them and walks over to their station with them to wait for Wonshik, Jaehwan, and the judges to appear. “How are you two feeling?” he asks.

“Good,” Hakyeon replies, all smiles.

Taekwoon nods his agreement. 

“Not nervous?” Hongbin asks leaning his hip against their table while they take seats.

Taekwoon shakes his head no then pillows his head on one hand, “We have a plan,” he says simply.

Hongbin laughs, then stands up straight, hand on his ear, “Time to start filming,” he says stepping away from them and calling out “Contestants, I need everyone to the front so we can start, please!”

Taekwoon and Hakyeon move forward and take their marks for the last time. Jaehwan practically bounces in, smile bright as Wonshik trails behind him followed by the judges.

“Before we start officially, I want to thank every single person in this room for the work you have put in over the course of this show. Some of you have been here since before casting,” Wonshik throws a look at Hongbin, “and the rest of you joined somewhere else along the way. This show would not be what it is without each and every one of you and I am beyond excited to say that we have already been greenlit for a second season and all three of our judges, along with our amazing host, have agreed to come back,”

Everyone breaks out into applause at this and Hakyeon runs forward, wrapping Wonshik in a hug before scurrying back to his place next to Taekwoon much to everyone’s amusement.

“Now that that is over, I’ll step aside and let Jaehwan take over,” he smiles before moving back behind the cameras as they get ready to film.

“Alright contestants, for the last time we are going to start our Final Craft Challenge. Yesterday each team won an extra ten minutes, so we are excited to see the battle between Halloween and Christmas. Contestants, get crafting!” he says.

Both Taekwoon and Hakyeon turn and run back to their station. Taekwoon immediately grabs the ingredients he needs to start the cake, while Hakyeon grabs his crafting bag and heads over to their room to start work there. “Call me over for frosting and don’t forget to preheat the oven!” Hakyeon calls out.

Taekwoon jolts, spilling some of the sugar he is measuring at Hakyeon’s words. He sets down the bag and quickly cranks the oven up to 180 before returning to the ingredients. “That was close,” he mutters as he wipes up the spill and adds the butter and eggs to the mixture. He hums absently as he finishes the batter and portions it out into the cupcake tins, popping them straight in the oven and setting the timer. He switches to making frosting while the cupcakes bake, portioning out two smaller dishes for the black and red as Hakyeon suggested, and tinting the rest the green from before. He puts each into piping bags so they’re ready to go when the cupcakes are ready to decorate a little later.

At the ding of the timer, he pulls the confections from the oven and moves them to the cooling rack and goes over to where Hakyeon is working in their room. “What’s that going to be?” he asks as he squats down next to Hakyeon.

“Ghosts,” the other replies. “I soaked some cheesecloth in glue and now I’m wrapping it around these balloons and letting it dry so they’ll keep the shape. I’ll add some faces later too.”

“They look like the Mario ghosts,” Taekwoon snorts. “They’re fat.”

“Don’t make fun of my ghosts. They ate well while they were alive,” Hakyeon returns.

“I’m sure they did,” Taekwoon appeases. “Anyway, the cupcakes are cooling, so what can I do over here?”

“You can start on your creepy clown you desperately wanted,” Hakyeon shudders. “You can use one of the styrofoam balls for the head and layer some of the felt to make the face,” he says gesturing to the supplies he had grabbed in the corner. “A disembodied head is creepy enough, but if you want to give him a body and stuff, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Taekwoon nods, retrieving the styrofoam, a few pieces of felt, and a hot glue gun. He sets up near an outlet, letting the gun get hot while he carefully wraps a beige piece of felt around the ball. He hot glues it in place, only burning his fingertips a little, then cuts off the excess. He cuts out red for the hair and wraps it around, testing the length a few times before he is satisfied enough to glue it as well. Lastly he makes a hat out of white felt, cutting it small, rolling it into a cone, and gluing it on so it looks like a party hat. “Should I use markers for the face?” he asks Hakyeon, holding out the doll for his inspection.

“Permanent markers may bleed a little on the fabric, but that may make it look creepier,” Hakyeon replies. “Oh, but before you do that, can I fix his hat really quick?” Hakyeon asks reaching for the thing.

Taekwoon hands it over, watching curiously as Hakyeon takes it and disappears back into the crafting closet before returning with a small yellow pom pom that he promptly glues to the point of the hat completing it.

“Is that okay?” the other asks as he returns it to Taekwoon.

“Yeah, it’s perfect” Taekwoon smiles. He grabs the markers, using black to make eyes that, as Hakyeon predicted, bleed a little on the fabric, spread out further than he anticipated, but do give the clown a creepier look. He adds a menacing slash for a mouth, then some bits of red in a a triangle shape under the eyes to complete the face. “Is he creepy enough?” Taekwoon asks, holding it out for inspection one last time.

“Excellent,” Hakyeon says, nose wrinkled as he stares at it, “I feel like it’s going to eat my soul.”

“Two and a half hours remaining, Crafters!” Jaehwan calls gaining both Hakyeon and Taekwoon’s attention once again.

Taekwoon carefully sets the clown head aside and stands up, brushing off his pants, “We need to frost the cupcakes soon if you have a few minutes,” he says.

Hakyeon nods, setting his last ghost aside and holding out his hand for Taekwoon to take and pull him up.

Taekwoon obliges, pulling the other up and practically dragging him back to the kitchen where they both wash their hands before grabbing the frosting. They fall into the same routine as before, Taekwoon adding a base layer of green to all of the cakes, making sure to use more frosting on half of them for the Bride looks. The only new thing is the addition of mouths and stitches for each of the faces. Taekwoon lets Hakyeon pipe those on, enjoying the delight on his partner’s face as he works. 

After he’s done with the faces, Hakyeon begins work on what he is calling his “witch’s brew” which consists of lemon lime soda, pineapple juice, and lime sherbet. He scoops out the sherbet into the washed out cupcake tins, stashing them in the freezer so they stay frozen while he combines the other two drinks into a large punchbowl and sets it inside the refrigerator. “I asked Hongbinnie to get me some dry ice, but the supplier was out,” Hakyeon says once the concoction is set aside. “We’ll lose the effect, but it will still taste good.”

Once the cakes are set aside and the punch is made, a little under half of their time remains, so they decide to devote most of it to decorations before starting on the pizza so they can serve the food while it is still warm. 

After they return to the room, Hakyeon checks on his ghosts while Taekwoon contemplates the best way to make a body for his clown. There’s a styrofoam cone he grabs and covers in yellow felt to match the pompom Hakyeon added, and then he’s stuck with how best to make limbs to finish off his clown. “Hakyeonnie, I need you again,” he whines.

“What’s wrong?” Hakyeon asks, materializing from behind him.

“How do I make arms and legs?” he asks, pointing at the body.

“The same way you made the hat for the arms, just roll some felt and glue it around a disposable chopstick. As for legs…does he need them? How about we try and stage it so he’s in the middle of other decorations and hide the lower half?” Hakyeon proposes.

“This is why you’re the professional.”

Hakyeon snorts at the remark and turns to focusing on making his puffy cats from paper lanterns.

Meanwhile, Taekwoon runs to the kitchen to snag some chopsticks and returns to make the arms like Hakyeon suggested, using white so they stand out from the body. He cuts mitten shapes out of the same beige as the face and attaches those inside of the sleeves so he has small hands that poke out. A last minute addition before he declares the clown finished is some red marker along the tips of the mitten shapes to simulate blood on his hands. He laughs, setting it aside before wandering over to where Hakyeon is now tracing a bat pattern onto black felt using chalk. “Need me to help with that?”

Hakyeon tasks Taekwoon with cutting the bats out so he can be free to apply vinyl stickers to the sides of a few containers so they can fill them with various candies and fill out the table around Taekwoon’s centerpiece from the day before. After he’s finished cutting out the bats, Taekwoon uses two sided tape and arranges them on the far wall in a sort of flight pattern, trying to make it look like they’re moving across the wall. 

“That looks great,” Hakyeon smiles as he stands on a step stool so he can reach the top of their wall and screw in a small hook.

“What are you doing? Taekwoon asks, watching curiously.

“There’s no ceiling,” Hakyeon says gesturing to the empty space above him, so I’m improvising to be able to hang things,” he explains. “I’m adding a few of these to either side then I’ll run fishing line between them, criss crossing it some so there’s more room.”

“That’s smart.” 

“I’m smart,” Hakyeon returns with a grin. 

Taekwoon laughs, then heads back to the kitchen area to get started on the pizzas while Hakyeon continues his quest to decorate. He remembers to preheat the oven while he unwraps the store bought crust and simmers tomato paste to get the metallic tang out of it before adding a can of crushed tomatoes and simmering it all together while he adds the herbs and other flavorings. He spreads it on the dough, then adds the cheese and pepperoni before starting in on his olives, adding a few more than he did for his family so it will look like the pizza is crawling with spiders by the time he’s done. While the pizza is baking, he carefully brings the tray of Frankenstein cupcakes over to the table that Hakyeon has draped in a black cloth and has the centerpiece sitting on. 

He sets them to the left before returning and bringing the Bride of Frankenstein cupcakes to sit on the right side of the table. Hakyeon is alternating ghosts and cats from the ceiling and makes Taekwoon hang a few fake spiderwebs he made from stretching out batting in the corners of the room before the oven timer goes off and Taekwoon runs back to their kitchen to take the pizza out. 

He is pleased to find it is perfectly done, the cheese melted to perfection as he lays it on the counter to cool before they set it out with the rest of the spread. The regulation amount of time has elapsed and both teams are now down to the final ten minutes. Taekwoon slices the pizza into squares, trying to make sure there is an olive spider on as many pieces as possible before setting them on small plates and bringing those over to the table as well. 

When Taekwoon returns, he sees that Hakyeon has extended the webs so they cover an entire wall. He’s also added paper plate spiders to the walls, the legs made of folded paper, and now he is artfully arranging the pieces of pieces on the table among the candy jars and the creepy clown, a paper witch’s hat helping to fill in more space as needed before he runs off to the kitchen area and pours his witch’s brew into a punchbowl and brings it over to sit behind a paper cauldron he cut out. “I guess the benefit of no dry ice is that it will preserve my cauldron long term,” Hakyeon shrugs once he is satisfied. The last thing he does is run and grab the sherbet, popping each one into a paper cup and setting them near the cauldron for filling later.

They spend the last minute making sure all of the decorations are in place and arranged the way that they want as the seconds tick down. 

“Crafters, your final Final Craft is now complete!” Jaehwan calls. 

Taekwoon steps back and wraps Hakyeon in a crushing hug, sagging against him and taking comfort in the other.

“You did so well, Taekwoonie,” Hakyeon says into his ear as Taekwoon burrows further into Hakyeon’s neck oblivious to the cameras that surround them. 

“I love you,” Taekwoon replies, voice muffled against Hakyeon’s skin. 

The silence in return from Hakyeon is concerning. Taekwoon pulls back, trying to gauge his reaction, see if he needs to backtrack, but what he sees is Hakyeon staring at him in wonder before pulling him back into another crushing hug. “I love you too,” Hakyeon breathes against him.

Taekwoon manages to just avoid kissing the other, skimming his cheek along Hakyeon’s as he finally remembers the weight of the cameras on them. He steps back, a smile on his face and ducks his head while he starts to roll his sleeves back down so the vampire effect is back in full force as the judges make their way over one last time.

“It is certainly beginning to look a lot like…Halloween,” Jaehwan grins as the judges step into their space. Everyone groans at the joke, but Jaehwan ignores them. “Tell us about what you have done here today. 

“We went with a spooky cute Halloween party,” Hakyeon says gesturing at the tables behind them. “We tried to go as crafty as possible today and only used one store bought item to show what we can do and how far Taekwoonie has come in his crafting abilities. Behind you there is a webbed wall complete with spiders which extends over to the wall with a flock of bats. We also have some ghosts and cats hanging around the ceiling to really sell that spooky cute atmosphere.”

“I love your theme and appreciate the handcrafted nature of your decorations very much,” Soljin smiles. “I also see a more spooky than cute clown on the table over there,” she says making a face.

“Oh, that was Taekwoonie’s project, I’ll let him describe it.”

“I wanted to make sure we had a really creepy element in here somewhere since it’s Halloween and while it is fun, at its heart it’s supposed to be scary. So I had Hakyeonnie’s help in what materials I should use, but after that I made him myself. Besides the top of the hat, Hakyeonnie added that too,” Taekwoon replies. 

“The bloody hands are a great touch,” Heechul laughs.

Taekwoon smiles at that, proud of his work. “I also made cupcakes that look like Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. They’re chocolate with vanilla buttercream that is tinted, but not flavored. The eyes are chocolate candies, their hair is sprinkles, and all of the other details are the same buttercream, just tinted differently so there aren’t too many flavors competing. I wanted to prove that I can successfully bake a cake, and this was my last chance.”

“The cupcakes look great, but what is on that pizza?” Kibum asks, warily. 

“Spider olives,” Taekwoon grins. “My nephew Minyullie was grossed out by them too.”

Kibum rolls his eyes, but grabs a piece and takes a bite straight through one of the spiders. “It’s actually good,” he laughs after he’s done chewing.

The rest of the judges and Jaehwan dig in as well, taking time to inspect their decorations on the table and everything involved.

“I loved the punch, the sherbet gave a nice flavor and helped keep it cold, but there was way too much frosting on the Bride of Frankenstein cupcakes,” Soljin says once they are done. “I had to scrape half of it off, so while it made for a pretty presentation, it was not very practical.”

“I have to agree,” Kibum nods, “But your cake was delicious this time and I think you have achieved the redemption you were looking for,” he smiles at Taekwoon.

“This was a great showing, and I already know this one will be tough to judge. Thank you both,” Heechul says as Jaehwan snags a handful of candy before they make their way over to Gyujin and Junghoon’s room.

After they leave, Taekwoon sags against Hakyeon, letting the other lead him back to their station so they can start to clean up and await the final decision. He feels strangely detached from the whole thing now that it is over. As he’s washing out the mixing bowl and Hakyeon is drying the cupcake tin beside him, he feels content in the moment. Together they finish cleaning the kitchenette, then go and hang out in their decorated room, munching on pizza and cupcakes as the judges are off making their final decision. 

“Hey, let’s go see what Gyujin and Junghoon did,” Hakyeon says suddenly.

He’s up before Taekwoon can react, wandering across the studio to see their competitors’ room and Taekwoon follows, albeit more slowly, and when he enters their space it’s like he’s stepped into a greeting card. There are lights everywhere, along with a coating of confetti snow on the floor and against the far wall is a Christmas tree made of various shades of green ribbons tied into bows. “Wow,” Taekwoon breathes taking it all in.

“This is impressive,” Hakyeon agrees. 

Taekwoon’s eyes sweep to their table and the cookies decorated to match the sweaters the two are still wearing. 

“I snuck a peek at your room earlier and it looks amazing. I don’t want to be the judges right now,” Junghoon says with a shake of his head.

“No,” Hakyeon agrees with a laugh, “I’d much rather stick to making things than judging them.”

“Want some cocoa?” Gyujin asks holding out two steaming mugs.

Taekwoon takes the drink and sips it, “It’s mint,” he says surprised. 

“It fits the season,” Junghoon explains. “We tried to think of everything,”

“I think you covered that,” Hakyeon laughs. 

They chat for a few more minutes, wandering back over to Hakyeon and Taekwoon’s side so Junghoon and Gyujin can see it up close before the judges return. Just as Gyujin is poking at Taekwoon’s clown, Jaehwan’s voice grabs all of their attention.

“Crafters, can we have everyone back up front please?”

Taekwoon and Hakyeon set down their cups, the glittery mugs a little out of place among the black of their room and shuffle forward. 

The judges are standing behind Jaehwan, smiles on their faces as they survey the contestants in front of them for the last time. “First, we want to tell you that this was a very difficult decision,” Kibum begins. “Both rooms were immaculately decorated and the level at which you created and transformed the materials to achieve your respective visions was almost inhuman. We applaud all of your efforts.” 

“We really had to split hairs,” Heechul confirms. 

“Judges, can you please announce the winners?” Jaehwan asks.

Taekwoon’s hand finds its way into Hakyeon’s and he tenses, waiting for whatever comes next.

“Ultimately, the team that impressed us the most came down to their consistent performance throughout our competition. Gyujin, Junghoon, congratulations, you are the first ever winners of Craft It! and the ₩10,000,000 prize.”

Taekwoon nods, turning to Hakyeon and giving him a smile. He doesn’t feel as disappointed as he imagined he would. Sure the money would be nice, but it won’t really change his life long term, so he feels at peace with the results. 

“Are you okay?” Hakyeon asks tentatively after they have congratulated Gyujin and Junghoon and are making their way back stage for the last time.

“I am,” Taekwoon confirms. “Ready to get back to normal and focus more on my songs. I think I’ll leave the crafting to you from now on,” he grins as they both grab their change of clothes. 

“You should talk to Jaehwan and Wonshik about that one you played for me the other night. Record it and see where it goes. You could do such great things if you’d let yourself,” Hakyeon stops Taekwoon before he can slip into the bathroom.

“I’ll think about it,” Taekwoon says, leaning in and giving Hakyeon a kiss. “only for you,” he sighs before shutting the door.

When he returns to the waiting area, Hakyeon is chatting with Hongbin, Wonshik, and Jaehwan.

“Sorry the outcome wasn’t more favorable for you,” Jaehwan says giving him a small smile.

“It’s fine. I had fun anyway,” Taekwoon assures him sidling up next to Hakyeon who wraps an arm around him.

“He got a better prize after all,” Hakyeon says smugly.

“That is disgusting,” Hongbin laughs, cringing away from the couple.

“It really is gross,” Taekwoon agrees wrinkling his nose. 

“I’m going to find a way to bring you two back for a cameo next season,” Wonshik says thoughtfully.

“Nuh uh,” Taekwoon says shaking his head, “I just swore off crafting. Hakyeonnie can cameo, but not me.”

“He just finished a new song though, maybe you should put him in charge of your theme music next season” Hakyeon suggests at Wonshik’s crestfallen look at being turned down.

“That is an excellent idea,” Jaehwan agrees. 

Taekwoon’s further protests are drowned out by the others making plans over him. Finally, half an hour later, he and Hakyeon leave the studio for the last time hand in hand, Taekwoon excited about the prospect of his future for the first time in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for sticking with me through this. I'm humbled by the response I've gotten so far and go back and reread your comments when I start doubting myself. They are excellent sources of motivation, so thank you for taking the time to leave them! 
> 
> As always, major shoutouts to both Anna and Isa for keeping this story logical and me sane throughout. One last update to go! \o/


	9. Epilogue

Three Years Later

Taekwoon stands in the kitchen, bag of chips in hand as Mochi twines herself between his legs and their beagle, Marshmallow, watches his hands with interest.

“I’m not feeding either of you,” Taekwoon laughs popping another chip in his mouth. “These aren’t good for you, and I’m not getting Hakyeonnie mad at me.”

“Good boy,” Hakyeon says as he steps into the kitchen, startling Taekwoon a bit. 

“Are you finally ready? Taemi will skin me alive if we’re late for Minyul’s recital,” Taekwoon says as he takes one last chip from the bag before rolling the end up and clipping it.

“Yes, are _you_ finally done eating?” Hakyeon asks in return.

Taekwoon ignores him, choosing instead to rinse his hands off then grab the bouquet of flowers he left in the refrigerator. “We need to get going so we’re not late.”

“Hang on, let me just—” Hakyeon trails off, choosing instead to comb his fingers through Taekwoon’s hair, trying to put the pieces back into place where they’ve fallen into disarray.

“Thanks,” Taekwoon mumbles as he steps out of Hakyeon’s reach, sets the flowers on the counter and finishes combing the rest out himself. He’s still a little self conscious of the new color, but Hakyeon seems to love it.

“Silver really is your color,” Hakyeon says as if to confirm Taekwoon’s thoughts. “Though, I do miss the burgundy a little,” he adds almost wistfully.

“You say that every time I change it,” Taekwoon laughs. He leans over, giving each pet a quick scratch before righting himself one again. “Now we need to go,” he says grabbing the bouquet with one hand and taking hold of Hakyeon’s wrist with the other and tugging him towards the door.

“I’m just glad you can change it when you want now,” Hakyeon says as they pull their shoes on and head out. “Full time songwriter Taekwoonie is so much happier than accountant Taekwoon ever was.”

Taekwoon scoffs at the words feeling a blush creep up his cheeks. “It’s not just the songwriting,” he mumbles as the bus approaches.

Hakyeon beams at him as they board and find seats near the back. 

Taekwoon texts his mom an ETA as the bus starts moving and he and Hakyeon pass the time together with Hakyeon once again trying to convince Taekwoon to use his newfound industry status to advance his own singing career.

“We’re talking in circles,” Taekwoon sighs heavily. “I sing the important ones and I even did that feature on Wonshik’s last song.”

“I know, I just want everyone to see how amazing you are,” Hakyeon says leaning against him. 

“I don’t need them too. Plus, you do enough of that anyway on your channel whenever one of my songs is released. Everyone is probably sick of hearing about me.”

“Genius deserves to be celebrated,” Hakyeon replies, smile wide as Taekwoon rolls his eyes. “The bonus is I get to see you with all sorts of pretty hair colors now too.”

Once they reach the stop near the theater, they make their way quickly to the entrance, only a few minutes to spare before the curtain is scheduled to go up. Taekwoon takes the lead, heading straight to where his family has saved them seats. 

“They said third row center,” he tells Hakyeon as they step inside. He shivers a bit from the contrast of the air conditioning inside the atrium against the humid summer morning and draws a laugh from Hakyeon.

“Poor thing,” Hakyeon coos wrapping an arm around his shoulder and rubbing his arm to warm him up, “always so cold.”

“Shut up,” Taekwoon replies shrugging out of Hakyeon’s hold as he feels his cheeks heat at the remark. He glances around to see if anyone is staring, but they remain ignored by the general public.

“Our Taekwoonie is so delicate,” Hakyeon finishes. 

“Your Taekwoonie also knows how to box,” Taekwoon replies darkly, earning a grin from Hakyeon.

When they finally get inside the theater and spot the family, Taekwoon waves, but it is Hakyeon who gets the recognition.

“Uncle Hakyeonnie!” Hana cries, running as fast as her small legs will allow and practically launching herself at him.

“Hana!” he cries in turn, stooping down to scoop her up and swing her around.

Taekwoon wants to feel jilted, but, truthfully, he’s more enchanted by the sight than he wants to let on. Keeping up the pretense, he pushes out his bottom lip and looks at the pair. “I’m the one that was there when you were born, but he’s the one you run too?” he pouts at the little girl.

“She can’t help it if she has taste,” Hakyeon teases beckoning to Taekwoon before he threads himself through the crowd milling about to where Taekwoon’s family sits watching and waiting.

They take the seats saved for them at the end, Hana still perched on Hakyeon’s lap as she tells him all about her morning and how she put on her shoes all by herself. 

Taekwoon leans over into Hakyeon’s space, inserting himself into the conversation as his niece shifts into a story about the breakfast she had.

The lights flash, signaling that the performances are about to begin, and Hakyeon waves off Eunkyung when she offers to take the child back. He settles her down making sure that she can see before the whole place goes dark.

All of the performances are great, but Taekwoon is obviously most impressed by his nephew. Minyul had been practicing for the last couple of months and refused to let Taekwoon see any of it. Now he knows why.

As the lights come up and MInuyl takes stage, Taekwoon’s jaw drops as his own song blasts out of the speakers. It is one of his uptempo ones, and the choreography is a slightly simplified version of the group’s who had recorded and released it, and Taekwoon is beside himself.

After the song is over, the entire family is on their feet cheering loudly for Minyul, Taekwoon making the most noise much to Hakyeon’s amusement.

“Uncle Taekwoonie is loud,” Hana says once they’re finally seated again.

“Uncle Taekwoonie is proud of Munyullie,” Hakyeon laughs as the crew resets the stage for the next performer.

After the recital Hakyeon and Taekwoon present Minyul with the flowers Taekwoon had stashed under his seat during the recital.

“Did you like it?” Minyul asks rushing into Taekwoon’s arms once he’s spotted him.

“Of course,” Taekwoon replies, leaning in and hugging his nephew tight. “I’m also honored you chose to use my song.”

“Mommy said you would like it, and Uncle Hakyeonnie helped me too.”

Taekwoon turns to Hakyeon, who is grinning back at him, Hana still on his hip. “Traitor,” he mutters without any heat as he slides to Hakyeon’s side and leans against him.

They spend the rest of the afternoon at Taekwoon’s parents’ house celebrating with the family, Minyul performing an encore just for them before Taekwoon and Hakyeon finally head home. 

Marshmallow is yipping, turning himself in circles as they toe off their shoes in the entryway and Taekwoon leans down to scoop up the puppy. “We missed you too,” he grins as the dog licks his face, then wriggles out of his grip to sniff at the bag Hakyeon is carrying.

“No leftovers for you,” Hakyeon laughs as he pulls the bag out of reach. The trio head into the kitchen and are soon joined by Mochi who twines herself through Taekwoon’s legs before sitting by her bowl and meowing pitifully at him.

“You’d think we never feed them,” Taekwoon says as he retrieves both the cat and dog foods from the pantry. 

“Huh, dramatic and always hungry, reminds me of someone else I know,” Hakyeon teases, leaning back against the counter while Taekwoon feeds their pets.

“I may love you, but I will still kick your ass, Cha Hakyeon,” Taekwoon returns after he finishes his task. 

“You keep saying that, but here I am, blemish free.”

“I think I can change that,” Taekwoon says, stepping closer and caging Hakyeon in against the counter where he rests. He dips his head, nuzzling into Hakyeon’s neck and taking in his scent.

“I’m scheduled to film two videos tomorrow,” Hakyeon protests, but tilts his head so Taekwoon has better access.

“Mm, better get creative with your wardrobe then,” Taekwoon hums, then nips lightly at Hakyeon’s sensitive skin. “You don’t want your followers asking too many questions again.”

“I’ll just tell them my fiance is a secret vampire,” Hakyeon says lowly.

Taekwoon pulls back, eyes wide, “Fiance?”

Hakyeon’s grin is bright as he reaches behind him into one of the drawers, knocks aside a few oven mitts and unearths a small black box. “If you want to?”

Taekwoon is speechless, but nods, reaching out for the box and slipping the delicate silver band onto his finger. He throws his arms around Hakyeon again, pressing against him tightly and murmuring “I love you, I love you,” over and over into his skin as he works to show him just how much those words are true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We did it! I honestly cannot believe I am posting an epilogue to a story that is one hundred THOUSAND words long. Who am I? What demon possessed me? (I know what you're going to say and I am fully embracing it.) I set out to tell a story, and it took 9 months and nearly consumed every creative bone in my body, but IT IS DONE.
> 
> Thank you to those of you who were with this story from the start. I loved reading your comments and am honored you took time out of your lives to read this. Thank you to every single person who has kudos'd or commented, or even just clicked on this thing. It means a whole lot to me.
> 
> I sound like a broken record, but this could not have happened without the k!bas discord people. They are the most excellent of people. Anna and Isa, thank you both for your honorable duties of beta/sounding board/hand holder/generally badass human beings. I owe you the moon (but you'll have to settle for fic.)

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to the k!bas discord (especially Sam the fairy godmother of this monstrosity, Isa, my pocket support, and Anna for her eagle eyes.) Through word sprints, all things are possible.


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